Image Source: theaustralian.com
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt strongly criticized the press during her latest briefing, accusing reporters of trying to discredit President Donald Trump’s efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
“All weekend, following those historic U.S.-Russia bilateral talks, we listened to clueless pundits on television trying, but failing, to claim that the president had failed,” Leavitt told journalists.
She went on to lash out at foreign policy commentators, saying, “The so-called experts in the foreign policy establishment, whose record is nothing but endless wars, trillions of wasted taxpayer dollars and dead Americans, have the nerve to try and lecture President Trump, who has solved seven global conflicts in seven months, about peace.”
Her remarks came shortly after Trump’s high-profile summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. Putin received special treatment, including a red carpet welcome and even a ride in the presidential limousine.
The two leaders spent about three hours in talks, but Trump did not achieve the ceasefire he had hinted at before the meeting. Nor did he move forward with the “severe” sanctions he had suggested might be imposed on Russia.
Leavitt defended the summit, framing it as a “listening session” that laid the groundwork for future negotiations.
A day later, Trump hosted follow-up discussions in Washington with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as well as leaders from France, Britain, Italy, Germany, NATO, and the European Union.
Trump’s allies quickly rallied around him. On Tuesday, Republican lawmakers Andy Ogles and Marlin Stutzman formally nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize, highlighting his efforts to bring Russia and Ukraine to the same table.
The former president has also said that he hopes to arrange a direct meeting between Putin and Zelensky.
Meanwhile, Russia used the moment to issue a warning about NATO’s involvement. The Russian foreign ministry stated: “We reaffirm our repeatedly stated position of categorical rejection of any scenarios that envisage the appearance in Ukraine of a military contingent with NATO countries, which is fraught with an uncontrolled escalation of the conflict with unpredictable consequences.”
Leavitt ended her briefing by accusing the media of intentionally undermining Trump’s diplomatic efforts. “This is why Americans’ trust in the mass media is at a lowest point in more than five decades,” she said.
