In the wake ofRussian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrovs visit to the Oval Office last week, Russian state TVaired a segmenttitledPuppet Master and AgentHow to Understand Lavrovs Meeting With Trump and characterized the visit as an example of President Trump being subservient to Russian interests.

As The Daily Beasts Julia Davis points out, President Vladimir Putins propaganda brigades enjoy watching the heightened divisions in the United States, and how it hurts relations between the U.S. and Ukraine.

That enjoyment manifested itself in the segment, which aired on the Russian Sunday news showVesti Nedeli, wherehost Vladimir Soloviev quipped that Trump would have to seek refuge in Russia once hes out of office.

"State-television news shows use every opportunity to demoralize the Ukrainians with a set of talking points based on the U.S. presidents distaste for their beleaguered country, Davis writes before citing another state-funded TV show where the host boasted about the meeting between Trump and Lavrov to a Ukrainian panelist.

There are no disagreements or contradictions between Trump and Russia, saidValery Korovin, director of the Center for Geopolitical Expertise, appearing on the state-television channel Rossiya-24.

The Kremlin is even promoting the work of Trumps personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani. After Giulianis return to US from his evidence gathering trip to Ukraine, Russian state TV began airing clips of hisOAN (One America News Network) documentary, which claims to provide evidence that Ukraine meddled in the 2016 US election and thatformer Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch of lied under oath to Congress to whitewash [Joe] Bidens corruption.

Giulianis efforts on behalf of President Trump are bound to pay propaganda dividends for the Kremlin, Davis writes.

Putin has expressed undisguised delight with the crusade led by Trump and Giuliani to whitewash Moscows interference in the U.S. elections and pin the blame on Kyiv, he continued.

According to Davis, the emerging narrative from Russia propaganda outlets puts the hypocrisy of the Republicans on full display.

The Kremlin, having argued for years that democracy is a sham and the West is devoid of morals and principles, can now showcase the GOP as its Exhibit A.'

Originally posted here:

State media claims that President Donald Trump is an "agent" of Russia - Salon