For three years, the Kremlin saw the United States as its biggest enemy, accusing US President Joe Biden of prolonging the Ukraine conflict by supplying weapons to Kyiv.

But with US President Donald Trump initiating a rapprochement with Moscow and halting support for Ukraine, the Kremlin is redirecting much of its anger towards European leaders who have stood by the embattled country.

Pro-Kremlin media and pundits have amplified Trump's criticism of Kyiv and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, while accusing Europe of wanting to "continue" the fighting.

And Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov last week described Europe -- not the United States -- as being the main obstacle to peace in Ukraine.

"Europe is replacing the United States as a bogeyman in our propaganda, and will gradually replace it in people's minds," independent analyst Konstantin Kalachev told AFP.

By shifting the blame away from the US to Europe, Russia can keep its rallying cry of being encroached upon by a hostile West, he said -- while opening the door to........

© International Business Times