The Kremlin was offended by Trump's remarks that "Russia helped the USA win World War II."

The Kremlin criticized U.S. President Donald Trump's statements suggesting that Russia helped the United States win World War II.

Spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that the USSR paid the highest cost in the war against Nazi Germany, as reported by moscowtimes.eu.

On Wednesday, Trump made his first direct appeal to Putin on social media, stating that the U.S. should not "forget that Russia helped us win World War II, losing 60 million lives in the process."

In response, Peskov reminded that the USSR paid Washington for Lend-Lease support, with payments concluding only during Putin's second presidential term (in August 2006).

"The highest price for victory [over Hitler] was paid by our country, the Soviet Union," said the Kremlin spokesperson. "The war, the theater of operations, and the death of tens of millions occurred on another continent for America."

Peskov did not deny that the U.S. made significant contributions to the victory but added that "America always makes money; for America, it is always business."

He also stated that the U.S. is "making profits in Ukraine" by providing military and financial support to the country, thereby creating new jobs and developing the American defense industry through military contracts.

The Russian authorities hope that U.S. representatives will join the celebrations for the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War, Peskov said. North Korea will also participate in the May 9 parade, among others, as reported by NHK sources.

Background. Recall that while speaking at a forum in Davos, Trump announced his intention to reach out to Saudi Arabia and OPEC to request a reduction in oil prices. He stated that lowering oil prices could lead to an immediate end to the Russian war.