In a recent broadcast, Vladimir Solovyov, a Russian state TV host and known ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, called for the destruction of America’s critical infrastructure if the United States tries to give Moscow “any kind of an ultimatum” in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
President-elect Donald Trump has previously said that if he were at the negotiating table with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the war between the two Eastern European nations would end “within 24 hours.”
Now that Trump won this year’s presidential election against Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, the world will be looking to see how he handles the war.
Solovyov warned on a program he hosts on Russia-1, a Russian state-owned television channel, “If [the U.S.] tries to give us any kind of an ultimatum, the Stalin Strait will appear [in the middle of America],” according to an English-translated clip of the show posted on the Russian Media Monitor’s YouTube channel on Saturday.
The Russian Media Monitor is a watchdog group created by journalist Julia Davis dedicated to combating Russian propaganda.
“I will say it once again, we should destroy every dam, every hydro system,” Solovyov said on his show.
He then said of Ukraine, “We should wash this Nazi scum off the face of the Russian soil,” adding that the war-torn nation “simply doesn’t exist.”
When Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, he claimed it was to “denazify” the country. However, Ukraine, the U.S. and multiple experts on the region have denied Moscow’s claim that the war-torn country—whose president is Jewish—is corrupted by Nazis.
Newsweek reached out to the U.S. Department of State and the Russian government via online form as well as Ukraine’s foreign ministry via email for comment Sunday afternoon.
Olga Maltseva/AFP via Getty Images
What is the Stalin Strait?
Solovyov seemingly implied during a broadcast in February 2023, that the U.S. should be destroyed for its support of Ukraine and in its place should be a strait named after former Soviet Union leader Joseph Stalin.
After a guest on the show spoke of the war in Ukraine being a larger battle against the U.S. and the West, Solovyov agreed.
“And in the 21st century the dream of the great thinker, Academician Sakharov, will come true,” Solovyov said, likely referring to Andrei Sakharov, a Russian scientist who played a role in creating the first Soviet hydrogen bomb.
“Yes, and on the territory of the United States there will be a strait in the name of Comrade Stalin,” Solovyov added.
Putin and Zelensky Congratulate Trump on Election Victory
Putin on Thursday congratulated Trump on his election victory during an international forum conference in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.
“I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate him on his election as president of the United States of America,” the Russian leader said, adding that what Trump has said “about the desire to restore relations with Russia, to help end the Ukrainian crisis, in my opinion, deserves attention at least.”
On Wednesday, Zelensky also congratulated Trump in a post to X, formerly Twitter.
“Congratulations to @realDonaldTrump on his impressive election victory! I recall our great meeting with President Trump back in September, when we discussed in detail the Ukraine-U.S. strategic partnership, the Victory Plan, and ways to put an end to Russian aggression against Ukraine,” he wrote. “I appreciate President Trump’s commitment to the ‘peace through strength’ approach in global affairs. This is exactly the principle that can practically bring just peace in Ukraine closer. I am hopeful that we will put it into action together.”
Ex-NATO-Commander Predicts How War Will End
Former North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) commander James Stavridis predicted on CNN‘s Smerconish on Saturday that the Russia-Ukraine war will end with Putin taking 20 percent of Ukraine.
Stavridis, a retired admiral who frequents TV networks to give his expertise on foreign affairs, told CNN’s Michael Smerconish, “What I hope [Trump] does, and I think he will, is put pressure on both sides to get to the negotiating table, and it comes out kind of like the end of the Korean War, Michael, which is to say, Putin, unfortunately, but in a real world, will end up with about 20 percent of Ukraine, the chunk that he currently holds, but the rest of Ukraine, the 80 percent, all those resources, vast majority of the population, they stay democratic, free.”
He said that Ukraine will also get a “path to NATO, probably three to five years, realistically,” and it might get membership in the European Union (EU).
Stavridis told Newsweek via email on Saturday, “Keep in mind that a negotiated settlement is not something the U.S. can impose—but for the Ukrainians and Russians to agree upon.”
“Negotiating a ceasefire and eventual settlement will take months. Ukraine’s entry into NATO could be accomplished over a couple years,” he added.