Kremlin Responds to Trump: 'Russia is a Real Bear'

Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov has made a number of statements in response to the recent speeches of US President Donald Trump and his assessments of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. The Kremlin representative, in particular, commented on Trump's comparison of Russia to a "paper tiger."

"Russia is in no way a tiger; Russia is more associated with a bear. And there are no paper bears. Russia is a real bear. Putin has repeatedly and with different emotions described our bear. There is nothing paper here," Peskov stated.

Referring to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Peskov noted that the Kremlin cannot agree with all of Donald Trump's statements. At the same time, he emphasized that "all talks about European security without Russia are baseless."

Regarding possible diplomatic contacts, the Kremlin representative said that a telephone conversation between Putin and Trump is not yet planned, but it can be quickly organized. As for the meeting with the President of Ukraine Zelenskyy, Peskov reaffirmed that Putin remains willing, but without thorough preparation, such a meeting would be a "PR stunt doomed to failure."

Peskov also touched upon the economic interests of the United States, noting that Trump has never hidden his desire to ensure the economic interests of the United States and to get other countries to buy oil and gas from Washington. In response to these pressures, according to Peskov, Russia is successfully redirecting its energy flows to other markets, citing as an example the recent major gas contract signed with China.

Concluding his speech, Peskov assured that despite the existing "points of tension," Russia maintains its macroeconomic stability.