A spat between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has come as a windfall for the Kremlin, raising Moscow's hopes for a halt in the U.S. assistance to Kyiv even as Russian troops seek to extend their gains in Ukraine.

A president just disrespected America in the Oval Office. It wasn’t Zelenskyy.” That was the verdict of the editorial team at the Kyiv Independent, one of Ukraine’s leading media outlets, on a remarkable spat in the Oval Office that played out on Feb.

The move comes as Trump ramps up his attacks on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. financial support for Ukraine's war against Russia.