Kremlin engulfed in flames: Zelensky shows his psych ward to the world

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appeared on the cover of Time and gave journalist Simon Shuster a tour of his office. A painting шт Zelensky's office depicting the Kremlin on fire drew particular attention. In Russia, officials were quick to react. Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council's International Affairs Committee, Vladimir Dzhabarov, called the artwork in Zelensky's office "nonsense" and stated that "no normal person would come up with something like that."

Photo: flickr.com by President Of Ukraine, https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

Volodymyr Zelensky

Zelensky took office as President of Ukraine almost six years ago, yet he still shrinks when he looks at polished brass and candelabras in his office.

"The place does seem rather gaudy, like a room plucked straight from Mar-a-Lago," Simon Shuster wrote.

According to Shuster, Zelensky repeatedly apologized for the lavish décor, saying he would prefer to throw out the furniture, remove the pilasters, and paint over the gilded ceiling. The only area where he feels at home is a small back room with a single bed and paintings that he personally selected.

• One depicts a Russian warship sinking in the Black Sea.
• Another shows Ukrainian troops fighting on Russian territory.

"The third, Zelensky's favorite, shows the Kremlin engulfed in flames,” writes the Western journalist.

Zelensky Wants to Ease Tensions After Controversial Oval Office Visit

Shuster emphasized that Zelensky invited him to defuse tensions rather than to give a casual tour of his office. As advised by his trusted aides, the Ukrainian president avoided discussing his infamous Oval Office visit, not wanting to deepen a diplomatic crisis that directly threatened Ukraine's existence.

According to Zelensky, he had planned every detail of the White House meeting in advance, having visited multiple times before. To make a strong impression, he decided to bring a set of gifts to break through any ill will the US President felt toward Ukraine. One of those gifts was a championship belt from Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk. Zelensky mentioned that he forgot about the belt, which remained on a table in the Oval Office. Meanwhile, Time reports that a member of Trump's administration later found the belt and placed it in the White House dining room.

Zelensky's intellectual limitations

Russian Senator Vladimir Dzhabarov believes this entire incident demonstrates the "intellectual limitations" of the Ukrainian president.

"He brought his dreams to life – apparently, the dreams of all Ukrainian neo-Nazis – by commissioning that painting. But I think it will remain just that: a dream. A dark dream, not a bright one,” the senator remarked.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova had a brief response:

"Psych ward.”

Irish journalist Chay Bowes also weighed in, stating that Zelensky's days as president were numbered.

"This putrid little fraud has been heroised by the Pro Biden media but he know knows his days are numbered. The Kremlin won't burn, but his hateful corrupt legacy will,” Bowes wrote.