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By Isabel van Brugen
News Reporter
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Russian State TV appears to be turning on President Donald Trump in its recent coverage, with Kremlin propagandists mocking the president over remarks he and his administration have made on a possible ceasefire in the Ukraine war.
Kremlin propagandist Vladimir Solovyov, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and one of the most prominent figures in state-backed media, tore into Trump after he said late Sunday that there is a "psychological deadline" for Moscow to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine.
Why It Matters
It marks a notable shift in rhetoric from Russia's state TV pundits. In early February, Kremlin propagandists reacted with glee to decisions made by Trump since he took office for a second term on January 20, with one guest saying the administration's stance on geopolitics even chimed with Moscow's.
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What To Know
Julia Davis, founder of the Russia Media Monitor watchdog group, posted a segment on X, formerly Twitter, from the Russia-1 channel, featuring host Solovyov.
"Meanwhile in Russia: state TV pundits have been obviously given permission from above to shred Donald Trump for his failure to immediately deliver everything the Kremlin was anticipating—and Vladimir Solovyov's guests have unloaded upon Trump with gusto," Davis wrote.
Solovyov and his guests were reacting to Trump's remarks aboard Air Force One on Sunday when he said that Putin had a "psychological deadline" to agree to a deal on a Ukraine ceasefire.
The host also criticized White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt's comments on March 31 that Trump "has expressed displeasure" with both Russian and Ukrainian leaders amid his efforts to broker a ceasefire in the conflict.
**"**You know the wording itself, President Trump has expressed displeasure, towards whom? Just the wording itself, that someone is expressing displeasure towards great Russia? It's their problem and not ours," Solovyov told his audience.
"[The West] should be trembling from the thought of our president expressing displeasure and what would happen next," he said, before warning that Russia could retaliate at any moment.
"Let me remind you that Russia has the most powerful and modern arsenal of strategic weapons that can solve the problem of any displeasure with colossal speed," added Solovyov.
Chiming in, political scientist Dmitry Kulikov said Trump's statement about a "psychological deadline" is "simply mind-numbing."
"I realize that everyone is in a terrible time crunch, including Donald Trump," he began. "You know, we had to see this for us to realize what we are dealing with."
The U.S. president is "extremely unstable in a psychological sense," Kulikov went on.
He added: "If he names the timeline and the date, he is finished."
Trump didn't provide a specific deadline for Russia to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine. Kyiv has agreed to a proposal from Washington for a 30-day pause in hostilities.
What People Are Saying
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on March 31: "The president is working incredibly hard to get a peace deal done between Russia and Ukraine."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address on Sunday: "For several weeks now, there has been a U.S. proposal for an unconditional ceasefire. And almost every day, in response to this proposal, there are Russian drones, bombs, artillery shelling and ballistic strikes.
"The geography and brutality of Russian strikes, not just occasionally, but literally every day and night, show that Putin couldn't care less about diplomacy."
President Donald Trump told NBC News on Sunday: "You could say that I was very angry, pissed off, when... Putin started getting into Zelensky's credibility, because that's not going in the right location. New leadership means you're not gonna have a deal for a long time."
What Happens Next
Kirill Dmitriev, a businessman with close ties to Putin, is in Washington this week to hold talks with U.S. officials as ceasefire negotiations continue.
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