A Russian state television host mocked Donald Trump as a “political infant”, punctuating deteriorating relations between America and Russia.
Mr Trump is “being severely swaddled”, added the host, whose co-presenter taunted Mr Trump as being “placed into geopolitical coffin.”
“So why did we elect such a president”? the host said.
The exchange illustrates Russian disillusionment with an American president who has fallen short on his professed desire for warmer relations with Russia.
Breaking with other world leaders who criticise the human rights record of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Mr Trump has had warm words for his Russian counterpart. He has consistently advocated stronger ties between the two nations.
But the relationship has frayed amid the fallout of Russian interference in the 2016 election, which intelligence agencies concluded Mr Putin directed, and an ongoing investigation probing potential ties between Mr Trump's campaign and Russia. Congress authorized fresh sanctions to punish Russia for election meddling, which Mr Trump reluctantly signed.
Russia swiftly retaliated to the sanctions by forcing the closure of American diplomatic facilities. The Trump administration hit back this week, ordering Russia to close three diplomatic offices in the U.S. and blasting the closure of American outposts as “unwarranted and detrimental to the overall relationship between our countries”.
