![[FILE] US President Donald Trump (D) greets Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meeting for negotiations at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, USA, August 15, 2025. EFE/EPA/GAVRIIL GRIGOROV/SPUTNIK/KREMLIN POOL / POOL MANDATORY CREDIT](https://i0.wp.com/efe.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/rss-efe22f5c86236d3d8319016301dc7aa19039f83a8f0w.webp?fit=1920%2C1228&ssl=1)
Moscow, Jan 17 (EFE).- The Kremlin is performing diplomatic acrobatics in condemning US actions in Iran and Venezuela, but without explicitly criticizing President Donald Trump.
“Forbidden to criticize Trump” has become a tacit directive circulating among Russian media since last year, reportedly originating from the presidential administration.
That guideline, however, has become increasingly difficult to uphold as Russia’s main ally in Latin America, Nicolás Maduro, has been arrested, and Iran, one of Moscow’s key arms suppliers at the start of the war in Ukraine, has been shaken by massive protests openly supported by the White House.
Do Not Mention His Name in Vain
The rule has been followed to the letter by President Vladimir Putin himself. During a recent Kremlin ceremony to receive ambassadors’ credentials, Putin avoided mentioning Trump or any of the most pressing global crises.
Instead, he spoke vaguely of the emergence of “new hotspots of tension,” criticized “the law of the strongest,” and lamented the erosion of diplomacy and international law.
He estimated that “dozens” of countries are suffering from threats to their sovereignty, without naming those responsible.
Notably, Putin has not publicly mentioned Trump since their last conversation at the end of 2025, when he accused Kyiv of attacking one of his residences with drones.
Bush’s Precedent
This is not the first time Putin has employed such a strategy. According to documents recently declassified by George Washington University, he used a similar approach with former US President George W. Bush.
Despite deep disagreements over Iraq, nuclear disarmament, and Chechnya, Putin cultivated a personal relationship with Bush.
As the US prepared to invade Iraq in March 2003, Putin reminded Washington that regime change is not sanctioned by the UN Charter or international law, while stressing that personal ties mattered more.
“For me, our personal relationship is more important,” Putin told Bush at the time, according to the documents.
“I have refrained from making negative public comments about you. If the military operation begins, I will have to comment, but not in a way that damages our relationship.”
Treading Carefully
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has also adopted a cautious tone, particularly after a conversation with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio last October reportedly cooled relations with the White House.
Marginalized from direct negotiations with Washington, Lavrov this week condemned US actions against Caracas and Tehran, describing them as part of “a policy by our US colleagues to dismantle the entire system created over many years with their direct participation.”
Without mentioning Trump by name, he also criticized US threats to impose a 25 percent tariff on Iran’s partners and questioned whether Americans can be considered “reliable” partners.
The Exceptions: Ukraine and Greenland
Senior Russian officials refer explicitly to Trump only when discussing a potential peace settlement in Ukraine, or, occasionally, US ambitions regarding Greenland.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has even dismissed the idea that events in Venezuela could undermine US mediation efforts in Ukraine. “US efforts correspond to our interests,” he said on Friday.
Reports of a forthcoming Kremlin meeting between Putin and White House envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have also been used to praise Trump’s willingness to address what Moscow calls the “root causes” of the conflict, particularly after Trump identified Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, rather than Putin, as the main obstacle to peace.
On Greenland, Moscow has avoided aligning itself with the European Union, despite acknowledging that the Arctic island belongs to Denmark.
Peskov has described the situation as “contradictory,” recalling Trump’s own remarks that cast doubt on the relevance of international law.
The Commandments of Russian Propaganda
According to the independent outlet Meduza, the Kremlin routinely issues informal guidelines on how Russian media should frame major international developments.
For the past year, the prevailing instruction has been to portray Trump favorably, especially in contrast to his predecessor Joe Biden, whom Moscow blames for Ukraine’s rearmament.
As in Soviet times, information control remains central to ensuring that the Kremlin emerges unscathed from global crises.
Putin must always appear as the defender of international stability and a fairer world order, never as a weakened leader outmaneuvered by Trump in Venezuela or Iran. EFE
mos-sk
