(MOSCOW) – Russian state television has praised Donald Trump’s stance on the media and foreign policy, drawing comparisons between the US president’s positions and Moscow’s own narratives.
The remarks were made during the political talk show “Sunday Evening With Vladimir Solovyov,” which frequently echoes the Kremlin’s messaging. Host Vladimir Solovyov, political scientist Sergey Mikheyev and Moscow State University academic Andrey Sidorov used the platform to argue that Trump’s actions, including criticism of the US media and decisions on international policy, align with Russia’s interests.
The discussion touched on Trump’s recent comments regarding Taiwan and China. Solovyov suggested that Trump had frozen military support for Taiwan to avoid conflict with Beijing, while also maintaining what was described as a “friendly” relationship with the Chinese leadership. The panellists argued that this approach challenged assumptions about Trump’s positions on global affairs.
Commentators also highlighted Trump’s visit to the United Kingdom, where he reportedly listened to Western leaders but ultimately pursued his own course of action. According to Mikheyev, Trump often appeared to consider allies’ advice before disregarding it and pursuing his own priorities.
The programme drew attention to Trump’s meeting with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. Solovyov referred to Trump’s comments about possibly acting “tough” if needed but not yet pushing for a ceasefire in Ukraine. Russian panellists framed this as a pragmatic stance, although critics outside Russia see it as further evidence of Trump’s reluctance to confront Moscow directly.
At the same time, panellists portrayed Europe as hostile to Russia. They criticised the Council of Europe’s decisions on sanctions, with Solovyov insisting that Russia, not European institutions, would decide its future. Commentators suggested that the United States could eventually align with Russia once it perceived Moscow as a “victor.”
The programme also shifted to domestic American issues, with panellists applauding Trump’s rhetoric against left wing groups and philanthropist George Soros. Mikheyev accused Soros funded organisations of undermining Russia and claimed Trump was right to challenge them. The conversation included references to US law enforcement labelling some organisations as extremist, which was favourably compared to Russia’s own restrictions on dissent.
In a striking moment, panellists argued that Western civilisation embodied “Satanism,” describing the West’s reliance on what they called lies and double standards. This language reflected a broader Russian state media narrative equating opposition to Moscow with moral decline.
Trump was also praised for his confrontations with US media outlets. Solovyov cited Trump’s alleged attempts to have journalists removed from shows with poor ratings, suggesting this resembled how the Kremlin would prefer to deal with critical media. Panellists claimed this demonstrated that the United States was abandoning its constitutional principles of press freedom, and echoing long standing Kremlin criticism of Western democracy.
The programme concluded with praise for Trump’s meetings with Putin. Panellists described them as “powerful” and argued that Trump had achieved more in international affairs than his rivals.
Russian Media Monitor is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organisation founded on 25 February 2014 as a media literacy and news reporting project to counter Russian propaganda. It features reporting and analysis by Julia Davis, an investigative journalist and Russian media analyst specialising in exposing the Kremlin’s propaganda tactics and hybrid warfare strategies.