A Russian lawmaker has ridiculed the UK and other European nations following the display of a photo of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in the White House.
Trump positioned the photo, taken during their summit in Alaska last August, in a hallway connecting the West Wing to the residence, alongside another image of himself with his granddaughter at the Daytona International Speedway in Florida.
Mark Warner, a Democratic senator from Virginia and the leading Democrat on the intelligence committee, criticized the placement, stating, “Putting Putin above the American people and his own family. Almost a little too on the nose.”
In Russia, the gesture was viewed more positively. Russian lawmaker Alexei Zhuravlev expressed that the display indicated respectful relations, mentioning the absence of European leaders’ portraits in the White House, including Ukrainian President Zelensky, suggesting they are not deemed significant by the US.
The swipe at Kier Starmer and other leaders follows a period of tension between EU leaders and President Trump over his interest in “acquiring” Greenland.
According to Zhuravlev, Trump’s decision to display the photo was driven by a desire to emulate the Russian president, known as a collector of territories, even though he has not achieved similar feats in the US. Zhuravlev remarked on the stability of public support towards the Russian leader compared to the US.
The meeting between Putin and Trump in Anchorage, commemorated in the framed photo, is considered a crucial moment in Russia’s conflict with Ukraine by Putin and his associates. This summit, the first time Putin visited a western country since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, is significant enough to be included in updated history textbooks.
Zhuravlev made further headlines by commenting on Russia’s use of new hypersonic, nuclear-capable Oreshnik missiles in strikes on Ukraine’s Lviv region, emphasizing the Kremlin’s display of advanced weaponry capabilities.
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