Donald Trump and Elon Musk are “popular” in Russia thanks to their criticism of Ukraine and opposition to Europe, according to Vladimir Putin’s former speechwriter.
The US President and Tesla CEO have become political bedfellows in recent years, and their scepticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is a major point of agreement.
On Wednesday, President Trump branded Mr Zelensky a “dictator” in a long tirade that resulted in widespread condemnation.
Meanwhile, Mr Musk backed Mr Trump’s suggestion that Ukraine should hold elections despite the country still being occupied by invading Russian forces.
Abbas Gallyamov, Putin’s speechwriter from 2008-2012, has now claimed President Trump and Mr Musk’s remarks on the war in Ukraine, illegally launched by the Kremlin nearly three years ago, have made them popular in Russia.
Asked about Russians’ views of the US President, Mr Gallyamov said: “He is very popular in Russia. As for Elon Musk, he is also popular as he is doing things that are liked by the Russian population.
“In general, billionaires are not liked in Russia. However, he is an ally because he is against Biden and the Democrats, he is against Europe, and he is supporting the AfD in Germany, for example.
“Musk is criticising liberals and sexual minorities, things that Russians don’t like.”
In recent days, Mr Trump has also claimed Russia “has the cards” in negotiations for a peace deal with Ukraine.
In a blistering war of words, Mr Zelensky said the US President is living in a Russian-made “disinformation space.”
He added that he “would like Trump’s team to be more truthful…we cannot allow Putin to deceive everyone again.”
According to reports, Mr Trump’s peace plan involves a £400bn “payback”, which would give the US power over much of Ukraine’s infrastructure and natural resources.
Mr Trump told Fox News that Ukraine had “essentially agreed” to pay the £400bn, adding: “They have tremendously valuable land in terms of rare earths, in terms of oil and gas, in terms of other things.”
Speaking on Wednesday, Putin claimed “no one is excluding Ukraine” from peace talks, although the meeting between US and Russian officials in Riyadh has taken place without people from Kyiv.
He continued: “It is impossible to solve many issues, including the Ukrainian crisis, without increasing the level of trust between Russia and the United States.
“We are not imposing anything on anyone. We are ready, I have already said this a hundred times – if they want, please, let these negotiations take place. And we will be ready to return to the table for negotiations.”
Putin’s forces continue to advance slowly in Ukraine. Kyiv says Russia has suffered 862,000 casualties since the start of the war in February 2022.
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