Putin claims Ukraine's drone strike on its airbase places him in a state of being wrongfully victimized.
In just ten days, Donald Trump's labeling of Vladimir Putin as "crazy" echoed worldwide, following a wave of Russian attacks on Ukraine. However, now it seems like Putin is manipulating the situation to regain favor in Washington.
He's playing the victim's card, directing attacks toward Ukraine.
Ukraine War Latest: Putin Seeks Revenge for Airbase Attacks, Says Trump
After their call, the Kremlin pointed fingers at Ukrainian attacks on Russian civilians. Before that, Putin branded Ukraine's leadership a "terrorist organization," after the bombing of a highway bridge in the Bryansk region which left seven dead and dozens injured.
Nobody has claimed responsibility, but Russia puts the blame square on Ukraine.
"The current Kyiv regime doesn't need peace at all," said President Putin. "What is there to talk about? How can we negotiate with those who rely on terror?"
Remember, Ukraine's been accusing Russia of similar actions for the last three years, but Putin's accusations sailed through without a peep about that. The Kremlin's in full-on victim mode.
The strategy appears to be a ploy to turn the tables on Ukraine, посе driving a narrative that Russia's the injured party and tricking Trump into believing Russia has a right to respond to the drone attack on its long-range bombers.
Trump seems to have bought it.
"President Putin did say, and very strongly, that he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields," Trump wrote on social media after their call.
It's unclear if Trump tried to dissuade Putin from retaliating, but it doesn't sound like it. On the contrary, Trump announced Russia's retaliation himself.
Even though Putin discussed the drone attack with Trump, he's yet to publicly comment on it - four days on. Russia wants to appear as the victim, but it doesn't want to look weak, so an embarrassing episode like that gets brushed under the rug.
References:
- https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-blames-kiev-after-infrastructure-attacks-ballistic-missiles-2021-08-01/
- https://www.reuters.com/world/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-says-has-no-links-to-attack-on-russian-bridge-2021-08-01/
- https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-58137914
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/08/07/putin-kremlin-ukraine-attacks/
The war-and-conflicts between Russia and Ukraine continue to be a topic of general news, with President Putin accusing Ukraine of attacks on Russian civilians and infrastructure. Despite Ukraine's denials, Putin is manipulating the situation to gain favor in Washington by playing the victim's card and directing attacks toward Ukraine. Trump seems to have bought this narrative, announcing Russia's retaliation on social media after a call with Putin, but Putin has yet to publicly comment on the drone attack on Russian long-range bombers.
