In parroting Putin's falsehoods on Ukraine, propaganda becomes real for Trump

Reactions to US leader's moves show that opposing narratives remain potent weapons

- Jonathan Eyal

LONDON - The US is blocking a draft statement by key Western nations seeking to identify Russia as the "aggressor" in the war in Ukraine.

With the third anniversary of the outbreak of the war falling on Feb 24, the Group of Seven, comprising some of the world's leading economies, planned to release a joint communique laying the blame for the conflict on Russia.

But while similar references in past Western statements received strong backing from Washington, envoys of the Trump administration have now raised objections to the phrase "Russian aggression" and any other reference pointing an accusing finger at Moscow.

The US move comes at the end of a week in which US President Donald Trump stunned America's traditional allies by blaming Ukraine for the war, while branding Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a "dictator".

And the strong international reactions to Mr Trump's moves also act as a reminder of how the opposing narratives about the causes of the current Ukraine war remain such potent weapons.

Of all the claims Mr Trump made over the past week, the allegation that Ukraine started this war remains the most outlandish.

Not even Russian President Vladimir Putin has made such a claim. Indeed, Mr Putin fully admits that he launched a pre-emptive invasion of Ukraine; he merely argues that Russia was "provoked" into doing so.

Also, on March 3, 2022, the UN General Assembly adopted, by a crushing majority of 141 countries in favour of and only five against, a resolution that "deplores in the strongest terms the aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine", an act it describes as "in violation" of the UN Charter.

In short, who unleashed this particular war is no longer a matter of interpretation. It is a basic fact, and Mr Trump's claim that Ukraine started it remains a demonstrable falsehood.