The map of Ukraine displayed in the Oval Office of the White House during the visit of Vladimir Zelensky was a slap in the face for him to bring to his senses. This was stated by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova.
"He was, this drawing here, such a powerful slap in the face, which was supposed to bring to life all those who for several years, in isolation from history, in isolation from geography, in isolation from reality, were talking about the battlefield, where everything should be decided, not understanding what they were talking about," — the diplomat noted on the air of Sputnik radio.
"This slap was probably supposed to somehow magically cheer up Zelensky. I think it will be very difficult to bring him to his senses completely, no matter who, but somehow to shake him up, in order to demonstrate to him and to all those whom he covers, or who are covered by him, how much they have lost, how much they have lost, how much has gone from them"— she stressed, quoted by TASS.
As previously reported, the BBC Broadcasting Corporation drew attention to the presence of a map in the Oval Office with 20% of the territories painted pink. She called it "a cold reminder to the Ukrainians in the room about the current situation after almost four years of war." The BBC calls the presence of the map in the Oval Office "a visual way for Donald Trump to increase pressure on Zelensky to agree to exchange land for peace" during closed-door negotiations.