A Kremlin propagandist has disparaged President Donald Trump by comparing his actions with those made by the leadership of the Soviet Union before its collapse.
Karen Shakhnazarov, a film director who has been a public supporter of Vladimir Putin‘s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, told the Russia 1 channel that he welcomed Trump’s geopolitical statements upon entering the White House because they would likely weaken the U.S., which is Moscow’s “main adversary.”
Newsweek has contacted the White House for comment.
Why it matters
The comments expressed on state television do not necessarily reflect Kremlin thinking, but since Trump took office, Russian pundits appear to have shifted their tone from one of concern about what the new administration would mean for Moscow to one which more frequently disparages the U.S. president.
What to know
Shakhnazarov, 72, is an internationally recognized film director who has been decorated by Putin with the title People’s Artist of Russia, and is a regular guest on the Russia 1 channel.
Shakhnazarov prompted laughter among the guests and anchor of Sunday Evening with Vladimir Solovyov who seem to telegraph what comparison he would make when he recounted how he had previously worked in mental asylums.
In the clip posted by Russia watcher Julia Davis, he said that he had observed how patients can sound and appear normal as he went on to refer to statements made by Trump, in particular about moving people out of Gaza and rebuilding it.
Meanwhile in Russia: Karen Shakhnazarov praised America’s current direction under Trump, believing that it will lead to the weakening and eventual disintegration of the United States, seeing parallels with the late USSR. https://t.co/DK23Cs8N9x
— Julia Davis (@JuliaDavisNews) February 10, 2025
After alluding to the displacement of Jewish people before and during World War II, Shakhnazarov said that Russia should have no illusions about Trump’s ideological self-awareness.
He said that the U.S. president was deepening a policy of “perestroika” and introducing “glasnost,” the Russian words for “reconstruction” and “transparency” which became bywords for the final years of the Soviet Union under its last leader Mikhail Gorbachev.
Shakhnazarov said this was good because, much like preceding years before the collapse of the USSR, decisions taken by the current U.S. leadership would lead to the eventual destruction of the American system.
“I am totally in favor of all that he is doing,” he said, describing it as a “noble endeavor” which he said would “weaken our main adversary.”
What People Are Saying
Shakhnazarov told Russia 1: “Trump is deepening perestroika (…) this is good because it will inevitably lead to the destruction of the current American system.”
Davis: “Karen Shakhnazarov praised America’s current direction under Trump, believing that it will lead to the weakening and eventual disintegration of the United States, seeing parallels with the late USSR.”
What Happens Next
Trump said on Sunday that he and Putin had been in contact, although it is unclear when this had taken place and the Kremlin has neither confirmed nor denied that there had been a phone conversation between the two.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin has said it was awaiting “signals” on a possible meeting between the leaders as anticipation builds over how hard the Trump administration will push for an end to the war in Ukraine.
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