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By Brendan Cole
Senior Reporter
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Vladimir Solovyov, a broadcaster with ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, has condemned U.S. President Donald Trump over tough sanctions announced against Russian oil giants that could deal a blow to Moscow’s war machine.
During his radio show, Solovyov said the warm ties between the American and Russian presidents on display during their meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, were finished after the U.S. Treasury slapped sanctions on Russia’s largest oil producers: Rosneft and Lukoil.
“The bromance is over,” Solovyov said. Newsweek has contacted the White House for comment.
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Why It Matters
Solovyov’s reaction is the latest expression of disdain by a Kremlin propagandist toward the U.S. leader, whose reentry into the White House had initially been welcomed by Russian state media as suiting Moscow’s interests.
The U.S. sanctions announced on Wednesday were the first imposed on Russia since Trump returned to office and are expected to hurt the country’s revenues, although Putin has insisted that they were not strong enough to affect the economy.
What To Know
Solovyov addressed the sanctions on his radio show Polny Kontakt (Full Contact), a clip of which Russia watcher and journalist Julia Davis shared on X.
He said the sanctions showed there were “no more illusions” and that “we can confidently say that the spirit of Anchorage has evaporated,” referring to the August 15 summit between the Russian and American leaders that yielded no breakthrough on Ukraine.
Solovyov said Trump should be judged by his actions rather than his words, and he disparaged Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent as he played a sound bite of the U.S. official saying that Putin had refused to come to the table for talks.
“Bessent is just Trump’s mutt,” Solovyov said. He then condemned the U.S. sanctions, which seek to get Moscow to agree to an immediate ceasefire.
“Who are they to demand anything from us,” Solovyov said, adding that Trump had slid down to the level of “pindos”—a slur in Russia for Americans.
Following this economic blow, Solovyov called for a “harsh escalation” from Russia in which planned military exercises should be replaced with “the unannounced use of tactical nuclear weapons,” which would change the course of the war in Ukraine.
Diplomatic relations with the U.S. and the U.K. should also be frozen, said Solovyov, who questioned why a summit in Budapest, Hungary, between the Russian and American leaders had been canceled.
He also suggested that Venezuela—whose leader, President Nicolás Maduro, is a Trump adversary—should be supplied with weapons to take the fight to the U.S.
Solovyov went on to accuse Trump of disrespecting Putin and said Moscow should step up its use of weapons “of a different level of power and ruthlessness.” He added that the U.S. “have to fear us.”
What People Are Saying
Russian broadcaster Vladimir Solovyov said on his radio show: “The Trump we knew temporarily has evaporated.”
He added: “Trump violated the spirit of Anchorage. … Disrespect was demonstrated toward our president.”
Journalist Julia Davis wrote on X: “Vladimir Solovyov was apoplectic about the new U.S. sanctions, proclaimed that the bromance between Trump and Putin is over and downgraded the U.S. president to the status of a ‘pindos’—a derogatory slur Russians use to describe Americans.”
What Happens Next
Solovyov’s comments do not necessarily reflect the Kremlin’s position, and Putin has tried to play down the economic effects of the oil sanctions. In the meantime, it remains to be seen how the sanctions will be imposed and whether they will force Putin to the negotiating table to end the war he began.
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