Trump Echoes Infamous Putin Comment When Talking About War

Donald Trump appears to have taken a page out of Vladimir Putin’s book by refusing to call his military action against Iran a “war”.

Speaking at a Republican fundraiser on Wednesday, the US president began by boasting about the “tremendous success” he says America is having with its conflict in the Middle East.

He then bizarrely admitted: “I won’t use the word war, because they say if you use the word war, that’s maybe not a good thing to do.

“They don’t like the word war because you are supposed to get approval [from the US Congress].

“So I will use the word military operation. Which is really what it is, a military decimation.”

The American Constitution does insist that the White House cannot unilaterally declare a war without a vote from Congress.

However, US presidents have repeatedly sent troops into conflict without such a formal declaration in the past.

Trump’s refusal to use the word war sounds rather similar to Russian president Putin’s approach to his own acts of international aggression.

He has mostly avoided calling his invasion of Ukraine a “war” for the last four years.

He – and his senior staff – have insisted on calling it a “special military operation”, appearing to downplay the significance of his grinding offensive.

Propaganda laws in Russia prohibit anyone from describing the invasion of Ukraine as a war.

It is widely believed that Putin is also trying to avoid mobilising the general public for battle by describing his military action in this war.

A “special military operation” suggested that it would be an easily won offensive, needing just specialised soldiers – a prediction that has proved wide of the mark due to the high casualty rates.

Unlike in the US, the Russian press have also been barred from calling it a war or even an invasion at the risk of being sentenced to 15 years behind bars.

It’s not the first time Trump has echoed the Kremlin’s talking points.

He has repeatedly taken Russia’s side over Ukraine’s when trying to settle that conflict, falsely blaming Kyiv for starting the war.

The US president has also eased oil sanctions against Moscow in response to the economic pressures from his own strikes on Iran.

Trump is now pushing to reach an agreement with Iran, claiming Tehran wants to “make a deal so badly” as the US is “decimating” the country.

But a senior political security official told Iran’s state broadcaster Press TV: “Iran will end the war when it decides to do so and when its own conditions are met.”