Trump’s language mirrors Kremlin framing.

US President Donald Trump has described the war "in Russia" as "primitive" in comparison to the US operation that captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro. Apparently, the US leader meant the Russian war in Ukraine that has been ongoing for 11 years. He made this remark during a phone call with Fox News journalists on 3 January.

However, it remains unclear what exactly Trump was referring to, especially given that he has previously both condemned Russian aggression against Ukraine and pressured Kyiv into an unfavorable peace deal.

Since early 2025, Trump has been attempting to broker a deal between Russia and Ukraine, but without success so far. Despite economic difficulties, the Kremlin plans to continue the fighting and has approved a budget allocating 40% for military needs.

The goal of Moscow is not resources or money, but the eradication of Ukraine as a sovereign state and control over its territory.

US drone strikes in Caracas

On the night of 2-3 January, the US launched drone strikes on Caracas, the capital of Venezuela.

Trump said the US “can do it again, too" as "there’s nobody that has the capability that we have."

"You know, when I watch that war in Russia going on and on and on and everybody dying. It’s primitive. It’s horrible. It’s horrible, it’s really horrible," he stated. 

Trump also claimed that a large part of the Venezuelan government has already switched to the American side. Other officials who choose to remain loyal to the current regime, he believes, will face a bad future.