Kremlin spokesman says Zelensky is hysterical and unable to negotiate peace
Peskov’s remarks follow Donald Trump’s call for a new Ukrainian president and Dmitri Medvedev’s praise of Trump’s stance
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
Foto: Profimedia
Photograph: Digi 24 (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said Zelensky is hysterical and cannot act rationally, hindering peace talks.
- Former US president Donald Trump urged Ukraine to choose a new leader, blaming Zelensky for attacks on Russian refineries.
- Russian Security Council deputy Dmitri Medvedev posted that Trump was decisive and called Zelensky a bloodthirsty clown who must disappear.
- Centre‑rated Digi24 published a full article; six right‑rated outlets ran digests or a full report.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 8 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 10 of the 18 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
62/100
Craft
87/100
Hype
30/100
18 sources · methodology
Thin on the left so far
None of the 8 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
On 11 October 2026 Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov told Russian state television that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is "hysterical" and "unlikely to be capable of any rational action", a condition that, in Peskov’s view, prevents Zelensky from seeking a negotiated peace with Russia. The statement was reported by multiple outlets across Europe and Russia.
The day before, former US president Donald Trump addressed the White House press corps, urging Ukrainians to find a new president. Trump argued that Zelensky’s continued strikes on Russian oil refineries were disrupting global diesel supplies and that the Ukrainian leader lacked the will to conclude a peace deal with Moscow.
Russian Security Council deputy Dmitri Medvedev posted on the messaging app MAX that Trump had finally been "decisive", describing Zelensky as a "bloodthirsty clown" who wants only war and should disappear as soon as possible. Medvedev added that the "Kiev regime" had fallen into a state of stupor, predicting that its supporters would turn on each other.
“"Zelenski este, desigur, isteric şi este puţin probabil să fie capabil să ia vreo măsură raţională"”
What the coverage left out
None of the right‑rated digests mention the specific claim that Zelensky’s attacks on Russian refineries are disrupting global diesel supply, a detail that appears only in the centre‑rated Digi24 full report.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 4 times, most recently on 11 Oct 2026, 16:45, and will add the sides that appear.
How other outlets pictured it
Which photograph to run is each newsroom’s own choice. The leaning beside a name is that outlet’s published rating, not a claim that the pictures divide along it. Every picture is shown from the outlet’s own server and links to the article it ran in.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated left has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Centre
1 rated outlet
- Digi24’s full report reproduced Peskov’s exact remarks, quoting him verbatim and noting that his comments were relayed by the Russian news agency EFE and picked up by Agerpres. The article also reproduced Medvedev’s MAX post in full, including his description of Zelensky as a "bloodthirsty clown" and his warning that Russian forces, ballistic missiles and Geran drones would bring victory. Digi24 highlighted Trump’s call for a new Ukrainian president, quoting Trump’s claim that Zelensky’s attacks on Russian refineries were harming global diesel supplies.
Right
7 rated outlets
- The six right‑rated outlets all led with Peskov’s assessment that Zelensky is hysterical and unable to act rationally, describing the Ukrainian president as being in a state of hysteria and therefore not open to peace talks. La Razón, the only right‑rated outlet with a full article, reproduced Peskov’s quote and added that Zelensky "is unlikely to be capable of any rational action". The same outlet also reproduced Medvedev’s MAX post, using the phrase "the bloodthirsty clown" and noting Medvedev’s claim that Trump was "finally decisive".
- The digests from EADaily, news‑pravda.com, politika.rs, vz.ru and Interfax.ru echoed the same facts: Peskov’s statement, Medvedev’s praise of Trump, and Trump’s urging of a leadership change in Ukraine. None of these digests provided additional commentary or quoted any other sources beyond the Kremlin spokesman and Medvedev’s post.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Kremlin spokesman says Zelensky is hysterical and unable to negotiate…?
- Of the 8 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 0% are rated left, 12% are rated centre, 88% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 18. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Kremlin spokesman says Zelensky is hysterical and unable to negotiate… left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 8 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of Kremlin spokesman says Zelensky is hysterical and unable to negotiate… biased?
- Kremlin spokesman says Zelensky is hysterical and unable to negotiate peace is one event reported by 18 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Kremlin spokesman says Zelensky is hysterical and unable to negotiate…?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Kremlin spokesman says Zelensky is hysterical and unable to negotiate…?
- 18 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- What did the Kremlin spokesman say about Zelensky?
- Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said Zelensky is hysterical and unlikely to be capable of any rational action, which he said prevents Zelensky from seeking a negotiated peace with Russia. The statement was reported by multiple outlets on 11 October 2026.
- What was Donald Trump’s suggestion regarding Ukraine’s leadership?
- Donald Trump urged Ukraine to choose a new president, arguing that Zelensky’s continued attacks on Russian refineries were disrupting global diesel supplies and that the Ukrainian leader lacked the will to negotiate peace with Moscow.
- How did Dmitri Medvedev describe Zelensky?
- Dmitri Medvedev posted on the Russian messaging app MAX that Trump was decisive and called Zelensky a "bloodthirsty clown" who wants war and must disappear, adding that the Kiev regime had fallen into stupor.
- Did any left‑rated outlets cover the story?
- No left‑rated outlet ran the story; the coverage came exclusively from one centre‑rated outlet (Digi24) and six right‑rated outlets.
Read it at the source
18 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Centre
1Right
7- Moscow Sent a Message to Zelensky: "Russia Cannot Be Treated Like This" (opens Origo in a new tab)
- Zelensky Is in a State of Hysteria and Unable to Act with Thought. (opens EADaily in a new tab)
EADaily — is EADaily biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- The Kremlin Grabs Trump and Points at Zelenski: "He's Hysterical. He Doesn't reason." (opens La Razón in a new tab)
- Zelensky now hysterical, incapable of acting rationally (opens news-pravda.com in a new tab)
news-pravda.com — is news-pravda.com biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Peskov: Zelensky Is Not Capable of Thoughtful Moves and Peace Talks (opens politika.rs in a new tab)
politika.rs — is politika.rs biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Peskov Explained Zelensky's Refusal to Negotiate with Hysteria (opens vz.ru in a new tab)
- In the Kremlin, the Failure of Zelensky to Carry Out Deliberate Actions Was Noted. (opens Interfax.ru in a new tab)
Interfax.ru — is Interfax.ru biased? Our profile of this outlet
Not rated
10- "He Is a Hysteric Incapable of Conscious action." Peskov Speaks Directly About Zelensky. (opens Defence24 in a new tab)
- The Kremlin Considers Zelenski to Be "Historic" and Unable to Reason - Information Focus (opens focoinformativo.site in a new tab)
focoinformativo.site — is focoinformativo.site biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Kremlin: Zelensky Has Gone Mad (opens asriran.com in a new tab)
asriran.com — is asriran.com biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- The Kremlin Considers Zelensky “Historical” and Unable to Reason (opens El Comercio in a new tab)
El Comercio — is El Comercio biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Peskov: Zelenskyy Has Succumbed to Hysteria and Lacks the Ability to Act with Restraint. (opens anlatilaninotesi.com.tr in a new tab)
anlatilaninotesi.com.tr — is anlatilaninotesi.com.tr biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Kremlin: Zelensky Has Gone Mad (opens Unknown in a new tab)
UnknownOpinion
- Peskov: Zelensky Is Incapable of Deliberate Actions, He Made a Tragic Mistake for Ukraine (opens nin.rs in a new tab)
nin.rs — is nin.rs biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Peskov: Zelensky in a State of Hysteria, Unable to React (opens atvbl.rs in a new tab)
atvbl.rs — is atvbl.rs biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
Show 2 more
- Green because of Hysterical Behavior Is Not Capable of Meaningful Action. (opens oreanda-news.com in a new tab)
oreanda-news.com — is oreanda-news.com biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Silence About Starlink and Air Defence: Peskov Claimed the Hystericalness of Zelensky (opens Life.ru in a new tab)
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