A Russian company released its newest ice cream flavor called "Little Obama" as relations between D.C. and the Kremlin continue to chill.
The chocolate-covered ice cream bar is packaged in a blue wrapper illustrated with a cartoon picture of a smiling young black boy who dons a gold hoop earring. "Obamka," the bar’s Russian name, is written in bold across the wrapper.
You can now buy "Little Obama" ice-cream in #Russia: https://t.co/tdOLKtPiGI #obamka pic.twitter.com/VQJeUkoy95
— The Moscow Times (@MoscowTimes) May 8, 2016
The company that created the bar, Slavitsa, said in a statement provided to Reuters that the product was targeted toward children in a series featuring "cheerful" characters representing "the main races of people in our planet."
"Ice cream names need to be memorable," the company wrote. "For those with a rich imagination, various associations might arise, but this product is for children and is a long way from politics."
Russian government-funded media outlet RT reported that the "ka" suffix most typically expresses "affection," but can also be applied as a form of "scorn."
American government officials did not find the new product amusing.
"While I haven’t seen this particular product for sale, we are disappointed by the media-driven anti-Americanism that has become so prevalent in Russia over the past few years, particularly when it takes on a discriminatory or racist bent," a U.S. official told Reuters Friday.