US President Donald Trump has appeared to refer to the Caucasus as Russia’s ‘territory’ during a rambling press conference on Tuesday.
The seemingly offhand remark came as Trump was retelling his involvement in ‘settling’ the ‘war’ between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which he has repeatedly cited as one of the eight (or nine, depending on the day) wars he claims he ended in the first year of his second term.
‘Armenia and Azerbaijan. [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin told me I cannot believe you settled that war. I’ve been trying to settle that war for 10 years. Armenia and Azerbaijan’, Trump said.
It is unclear what the ‘10 years’ he was referring to meant, as Putin and other leaders have been involved in attempts to make peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan since the conflict broke out in 1988, when both countries were still part of the Soviet Union.
After an extended tangent mainly focused on his frequently mentioned complaints that he has not been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, Trump returned to the Armenia–Azerbaijan conflict, saying, ‘But Putin told me, “I cannot believe you got this war settled. I’ve worked on it for 10 years”, [...] because [...] it’s his territory’.
Trump has regularly stated his belief that the world should operate with spheres of influence, in which large powers such as the US — or Russia — should have more say in geopolitical affairs than small countries. This view has become more pronounced in his second term.
Over the past year, Trump has vacillated between condemnation of Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine and tacit acceptance of Russia’s justification for its invasion.
Nate Ostiller
