Russian state television has declared the United States already defeated in Ukraine and destined to lose to Iran, with one of Vladimir Putin's favoured pundits telling the American establishment it knows it has lost to Russia.
On "The Evening with Vladimir Solovyov," political scientist Dmitry Kulikov said part of the US establishment "does not consider it wrong to take revenge for a lost war." He continued: "You need to turn the table over and start the game again. And who did they lose to? … They lost to the Russian Federation. They don't know that."
When host Solovyov interjected, Kulikov insisted: "They know, they know, Volodya, they know."
Claims of American Retreat
The panel, which also included Americanist Dmitry Drobnitsky, framed recent developments as proof of American retreat. Kulikov noted that "America's distance from Ukraine is growing" and that the principle of "not a word about Ukraine without Ukraine" no longer applies in talks among major powers. "They will obviously not listen to anyone from Zelensky," he said.
Solovyov's guests described Europe as returning to "rather resonant periods in its history when it was disintegrating before our very eyes and turning into an absolute global province." One panelist asked: "Why do China, Russia and the USA need them?" referring to Europe and Ukraine.
Trump, Putin, and Xi Jinping
The panelists said Mr Trump understands the new reality. "Trump is waiting and ready for a three-way meeting with Putin and Xi Jinping. Because well, Trump gets it."
They claimed long-term understanding exists between the Russian and American leaders. "This does not mean that he is our friend," one said. "Well, the relationship that has developed between the leaders of our countries allows us to speak of an atmosphere of trust. At least, Trump has never uttered any insults towards the President of the Russian Federation. Unlike, say, other American presidents."
Predictions on Iran
The discussion turned to Iran. Panelists predicted that "the more offensive the defeat of the United States in the war with Iran will be in fact, when it is already recorded, the more strongly they will cling to this Euro-Atlantic."
The segment aired on Russia-1 as Kremlin-aligned voices continued to interpret Mr Trump's diplomacy as evidence of American weakness. Kulikov and the others presented the outcome in Ukraine as settled: the United States lost a war it fought through proxies, and the American establishment is now divided between those who accept the defeat and those who seek to overturn it.
Russian state television has repeatedly used such language whenever US pressure on Moscow eases. In this broadcast the claim was explicit: America has been beaten by Russia, the pundits said, and faces the same result against Iran.
