Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova also slammed the cover, writing on Telegram that the choice of photo was “astonishing,” as Moscow continues to ingratiate itself with Trump.
“Only unhealthy people, people obsessed with malice and hatred — perhaps even freaks — could have chosen such a photo,” she stormed.
While relations between Moscow and Washington have thawed somewhat since Trump began his second term, with the Republican leader inviting Russian President Vladimir Putin to peace talks in Alaska in August, the Kremlin’s refusal to end its grinding invasion of Ukraine has burdened their relationship.
The U.S. president was featured on the magazine’s cover after inking a pact in Egypt on Monday to bring Israel’s war in Gaza to an end after two years of bloodshed. He hailed the agreement between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas as having been “3,000 years” in the making.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy subsequently called on Trump to help end Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, just as he had brokered peace in Gaza.
“I hope that he will use the same instruments even more to pressure Putin to stop his war,” Zelenskyy told Fox News on Sunday.