"Kremlin guidelines to russian state media about coverage of recent US–russian meetings indicate russian president vladimir putin's determination to manipulate US President Donald Trump and divide the West", - states the report by the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) on February 27.
Citing a source who regularly participates in kremlin meetings with major media editors, it is reported that the kremlin ordered media outlets to emphasize that russia is engaging "not with some abstract Americans, but with Trump’s team" and to portray Trump as "a man who has been oppressed both at home and in Europe".
Sources from Verstka reported that russian media received instructions to create the image of Trump as a person who "possessed the wisdom" to respond to the kremlin’s "outstretched hand".
"Putin praised the Trump administration on February 27, claiming that russia's first contacts with the administration "inspire certain hopes" and that the Trump team is displaying a "reciprocal determination" to restore US–russian relations. Putin claimed that "ideological cliches" have started to "destroy the Western community ... from within", as evidenced by alleged problems in Western states' economies and domestic politics. Putin claimed that "some Western elites" are trying to "maintain instability" in the world and will try to "disrupt or compromise" the US–russian dialogue that has begun", - ISW analysts wrote.
In their view, putin’s statement that "some Western elites"—but not the Trump administration—oppose U.S.-russia negotiations is likely an attempt to drive a wedge between Trump and other influential American politicians, as well as European leaders.
"The kremlin has similarly recently framed European leaders as interested in prolonging the war in Ukraine as part of efforts to falsely portray the US and European positions on negotiations as significantly different and to discredit any possible European role in negotiations", - the report also states.