Moscow — Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump on Friday for “educating” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on his manners and wardrobe, drawing a pointed comparison to the action film character Rambo.
“We all saw how Donald, before the eyes of the whole world, educated the author of the letter and called his attention to his dress code,” Putin said at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, referring to a letter Zelensky had addressed to Putin.
He added that “constantly projecting ‘Rambo: First Blood’ may be appropriate in some places, but certainly not in all of them.”
“As for good manners, I would like to thank Donald for his efforts. It is undoubtedly useful, but much remains to be done. We must continue,” Putin said — a reference to the tense February 2025 Oval Office meeting in which Trump publicly rebuked Zelensky for arriving in military-style clothing rather than a suit.
Putin said his relationship with Trump is built on “mutual respect.”
Despite Trump’s diminishing role as a mediator in peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, Putin continued to praise the U.S. president and echoed several of his long-standing claims — including the allegation of electoral fraud that Putin says cost Trump the 2020 election, and his assertion that had Trump remained in office, the war in Ukraine would never have started.
His foreign minister struck a different tone. Speaking at the same forum a day earlier, Sergei Lavrov declared that “Biden’s war has become Trump’s war” — a pointed response to Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s statement that while the U.S. is serving as a mediator in the conflict, it is not neutral and continues to support Ukraine.
Washington (EFE)— The International Monetary Fund said Thursday that rising crude oil prices driven by the war with Iran are feeding through to inflation worldwide, while noting that the bulk of the price surge occurred in March — when the conflict erupted — and that costs have remained relatively stable since. IMF spokesperson Julie Kozack, […]
Washington/Havana (EFE)— The United States ended its grace period Friday for foreign companies operating in Cuba, closing a window that had given businesses until June 5 to sever ties with the island or face penalties from Washington. The deadline marks the latest turn in an escalating pressure campaign against Havana. A day earlier, the Treasury […]
Shanghai, China, (EFE) – China’s manufacturing activity continued expanding in May, beating expectations even as it slowed from the previous reading — which had been the strongest since 2021 — according to data released Monday by specialized consultancy RatingDog. The Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) — the sector’s benchmark indicator — compiled by the firm in partnership […]
