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The Kremlin has chosen a precise choice of words for its communication about the war in Ukraine, which violates international law. As the New York Times now explains, there are striking parallels to the US narrative regarding the Iran war.
So turned Donald Trump in a speech on first day of war to the Iranian forces and said: “To the members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the armed forces and the entire police force. I tell you tonight that you must lay down your arms and will be given complete immunity. Or face certain death. So lay down your arms.”
On the first day of Ukraine war Russian dictator Vladimir Putin said in his speech: “I urge you to immediately lay down your arms and go home. I will explain to you what this means: the soldiers of the Ukrainian army who do this can freely leave the combat zone and return to their families.”
USA and Russia: “We didn’t start the war”
Statements made by US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth at a press conference at the beginning of March also sounded similar to statements from Russia: “We didn’t start this war, but under President Trump we are bringing it to an end.” Kremlin ruler Putin chose similar words after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. He said: “We did not start the so-called war in Ukraine. Rather, we are trying to end it.”
There are also parallels in the names of the attacks. In official Kremlin statements, the war against Ukraine was always referred to as a “special military operation.” Mike Johnson, the speaker of the House of Representatives, uses the term “operation” to describe the attack on Iran. “I spoke to the president about it several times, and that was before the operation, and we knew what was going on. (…) For me, the most important point is, first of all, that it was a defensive measure, a defensive operation (…),” said Johnson.
Trump: “Didn’t even start to heat them up”
Three days after the start of the US-Israeli war against Iran, US President Donald Trump said in a telephone conversation with CNN: “We haven’t even started to heat them up yet. The big wave hasn’t even rolled in yet.” Around four and a half months after the start of the Ukraine war said Putin: “Everyone should know that, by and large, we haven’t even started seriously yet.”
There is one crucial difference, writes Anton Troianovski in his analysis for the New York Times: “The poor performance of the Russian military and the sophistication of the US and Israeli air strikes.”
