📞 After a phone conversation between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin instructed its propagandist media to reduce attention on Trump and focus more on presenting Putin as a “strong and decisive leader.”
Source: Gazeta.UA
📰 According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), on February 14, the Russian publication “Meduza” reported that the Kremlin instructed Russian media to portray the Trump-Putin conversation as a victory for Putin, while mentioning Trump’s name less frequently in the context of this conversation and other events.
⚡️ The Kremlin is concerned that the Russian public may perceive Trump as a more “proactive and decisive” leader than Putin, and therefore wants to change public perception by emphasizing that only Putin is responsible for the outcome of the talks.
🛑 The Kremlin seeks to prevent the Russian public from viewing Trump as a “strong leader capable of changing the situation” and Putin as passive or weak. To this end, it plans to influence public expectations in order to avoid creating “overly optimistic forecasts” regarding the negotiations.
📉 Earlier, the Russian information space depicted Trump as a pragmatic leader with whom Russia could cooperate. However, the Kremlin is likely trying to shift the perception of Trump in a negative light to emphasize Putin’s strength and determination amid potential future peace talks.
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