Camilla Jessen
After Donald Trump likened the Ukraine war to a playground scuffle, Moscow issued a statement.
Donald Trump stirred controversy this week by reducing the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian conflict to a metaphor of “two kids fighting in a park.”
The comment, made during a public appearance on Thursday, suggested that sometimes it’s best to “let them fight for a while and then separate them.”
On Friday, the Kremlin wasted no time in rejecting that characterization.
“For us, it is an existential issue,” said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, according to Reuters and Digi24.
Peskov emphasized that the war touches on Russia’s “national interests, security, our future, and that of our children.”
Russia Continues Retaliatory Strikes
While the rhetorical battle played out in the press, the physical conflict escalated overnight.
Russia’s Defense Ministry announced it had launched a “massive strike” on Ukraine using long-range missiles, air, sea, and ground-based weaponry, as well as attack drones.
The strike, according to the ministry, was in retaliation for recent Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory, especially military airfields.
Ukraine reported that the assault killed at least three people.
President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that over 400 drones and 40 missiles were launched at Ukraine overnight.