Russian State TV Guest Clashes With Host Over Whether U.S. 'Struggling'

Two Russian state television propagandists have clashed on air over whether the United States is "struggling," as one lamented Washington's dominant status on the global stage, referring to it as a "hegemon."

In a clip posted to social media on Sunday, television guest Sergei Markov suggested both the U.S. and Russia were "struggling" to "be in charge of everything," a remark to which the host on the Kremlin-controlled Russia-1 channel, Evgeny Popov, responded: "Tell that to the Americans." Markov, who is a staunch ally of, and former adviser to, Russian President Vladimir Putin replied: "Americans are struggling for that reason, too."

Russian state television broadcasts frequently attack Washington, and Kremlin-linked propagandists often describe the ongoing war in Ukraine as a NATO or U.S. proxy war.

The U.S. has provided military, security and humanitarian aid to Ukraine throughout Kyiv's war effort, but Washington has said it would not send American troops to fight on the front lines alongside Ukrainian soldiers.

"People keep saying that the Americans are struggling, and I don't see where," Popov then said in the clip, translated by the "KremlinYap" account on X, formerly known as Twitter. "What did they fail to do?"

"They took away our European partners, terminated contracts, created certain difficulties for our economy, launched a war on our borders, and accumulated NATO [member states]," Popov tells the assembled guests.

In his words, Popov also appears to refer to Finland joining NATO in April, with Sweden set to follow. The nations had a long-standing policy of neutrality before the outbreak of the full-scale war in Ukraine, but opted to request NATO membership in the wake of Russia's February 2022 invasion, and the move has extended Moscow's border with the alliance.

Many NATO countries, including the U.S., have imposed waves of sanctions aimed at Russia's economy in an attempt to hamper Moscow's ability to wage war on its neighbor.

The now 18-month-old conflict has also polarized the geopolitical landscape, with Russia increasingly courting closer ties with countries such as China, as Western nations turn their back on relations with the Kremlin.

"Now, everyone is subordinate to the United States," Popov continued, describing Washington as "the only hegemon."

"First of all, Americans have lost much of their moral leadership in the world," Markov told the program, before Popov quickly responded: "Americans are hated around the world. That doesn't stop them from running this world."

Newsweek has reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry for comment via email.