Moscow, 1 March 2025 (dpa/MIA) - The Russian government on Saturday derided Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's tense White House meeting with US President Donald Trump as a "complete political and diplomatic failure of the Kiev regime."

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Zelensky of behaving in an "outrageously rude" manner toward Trump during their heated public exchange on Friday.

"Zelensky confirmed that he poses the most dangerous threat to the world community," Zakharova said in a statement. She claimed the Ukrainian leader sought to prolong the war - sparked by Russia's invasion - in order to cling to power.

Zakharova reiterated Moscow's war objectives of demilitarizing and "denazifying" Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly invoked Nazi imagery and World War II rhetoric to justify the invasion of Ukraine, despite the widely noted contradiction that Zelensky is Jewish.

She argued that lasting peace would only be possible if the root causes of the war were addressed, blaming NATO's eastward expansion and the alleged suppression of Russian culture in Ukraine.

For more than three years, Ukraine has fought against Russia's invasion with massive military aid from the United States and Europe. However, with Trump and Zelensky's already strained relationship unravelling in front of cameras, Kiev now faces the risk of losing Washington's crucial support.

During their confrontation, Trump accused Zelensky of recklessly endangering global security by refusing to negotiate a peace deal with Russia, warning that he was "gambling with World War Three" and the lives of millions.

Trump did not criticize Putin and insisted the Russian leader was willing to negotiate. Trump then issued an ultimatum to Zelensky: either Ukraine made a deal, or the US would withdraw its military assistance, leaving Ukraine to "fight it out" alone.

Photo: EPA