Russia is starting to feel the sting of Western sanctions, with state media shows featuring multiple experts who talk of “rebuilding” or “re-starting” the country’s economy. They urge everyday Russians not to delude themselves into thinking that pre-war life would return to normal for years or decades to come. The only bright spot on the Kremlin propagandists’ horizon is the potential return of Donald J. Trump.
Following years of doubt and fears that Trump would face criminal repercussions for his unwillingness to accept defeat in presidential elections, Russian experts are now firmly convinced that their favorite candidate will come through unscathed—despite being “lynched,” as they put it, by the January 6 Committee.
Appearing on Tuesday’s broadcast of The Evening With Vladimir Solovyov, Americanist Dmitry Drobnitsky noted: “Despite [Trump’s] looks and various criticisms of him, he is the most acceptable politician in today’s world—as well as a couple of Republicans.”
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During Wednesday’s live broadcast The Evening With Vladimir Solovyov, host Vladimir Solovyov—who recently spent time in meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin—detailed the only semi-plausible scenario of Moscow eventually escaping consequences for invading Ukraine. Solovyov said, “I liked it a lot when the White House said, “We have no opportunity to talk. Throw us a pass so that we’ll want to talk to you.” And we say, “We don’t want to. Maybe you want to talk, but we don’t. We don’t want to take any steps towards you. We’ll wait for Trump.”
Russia’s preference for the twice-impeached former president is firmly founded on his words and actions: praising the annexation of Crimea as “very smart,” demanding political dirt in exchange for supplying weapons for Ukraine’s self-defense against its aggressive neighbor, and expressing admiration for Putin’s “genius” plan to re-create some version of the Soviet Union. Solovyov gushed: “Trump is a beaut. I’m deeply convinced that if there was Trump, there wouldn’t be a February 24 [the day Russian Armed Forces invaded Ukraine].”
Russian propagandists and government officials often opined that Trump was willing to look the other way at Putin’s attempts to take over Eastern Ukraine. The late Vladimir Zhirinovsky, a controversial lawmaker, who celebrated Trump’s presidential debut in 2016 by pouring champagne for fellow State Duma members, said on state TV that the Trump administration was willing to let Russia take Donbas, but Putin wanted more. Zhirinovsky also revealed the date the war with Ukraine would start. He was off by only one day—a change in the Kremlin’s plans that was likely caused by the entire world’s attention to Putin's troops massing along the Ukrainian border, with world leaders repeatedly urging him not to invade.
Solovyov opined, “Trump would not have behaved as brazenly and disrespectfully as Biden and his team during the December negotiations.” Perhaps Moscow is still longing for the replay of Trump’s infamous Helsinki humiliation, where he caved in to Putin’s every assertion.
“Biden is fundamentally different in many respects,” he continued. “Trump even said, 'I don’t need NATO.' He did impose some sanctions, but he listened to us. We were talking to him... Trump hates Ukraine, because Ukraine was trying to do everything possible for him not to get elected.”
Playing off Trump’s well-known saying, “Russia, Russia, Russia,” Solovyov exclaimed: “Trump, Trump Trump!... Those Americans who are constantly analyzing our program are having heart attacks right now, so I’ll say: Trump, Trump, Trum-pum-pump!”
Despite the jovial banter, Russia’s attempts to interfere in the U.S. elections are well-documented. Whether or not they made a tangible difference in the most secure electoral system in the United States is debatable. However, the mere point of meddling and openly announcing their intentions are designed to ensure that the potential victory would be attributed to Russia’s interference, and the effort would be reciprocated.
“Just light a match and everything there will be ablaze,” Solovyov said in reference to America’s internal volatility and mounting political tensions. Predicting turmoil and unrest in the United States, Maxim Bratersky, professor of political science at the Department of International Affairs in Moscow’s Higher School of Economics, then chimed in with his take on what Russia’s main goal should be for America: “In every way we can do them harm, we should do it.”
