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The maniacal leader of one country starts a war against another, not because he has to, nor because his own country is directly threatened, nor because the other country attacked first, but simply because he wants to, it makes him feel strong, and he’s sure it’ll be over in a couple of days. Instead, the war drags on forever and ends up destroying the economy of his own country.

Sound familiar? It should. It’s Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine. But it’s also Donald Trump’s war against Iran. Indeed, it’s uncanny how closely Trump in Iran is following Putin’s playbook in Ukraine, often using the very same language.

OK, to be honest, it’s not exactly the same. There are no American troops on the ground in Iran (not yet). The United States is not trying to seize any Iranian territory (not until the Trump crime family builds a new Trump Tower in Tehran). And, so far, Trump’s war has only lasted a couple of weeks, not four years. But the similarities between the two wars are striking.

For starters, neither Putin nor Trump call it an act of “war.” When Putin launched Russia’s attack on Ukraine in February 2022, he called it a “special military operation,” or “S.V.O” – which is what Russians still call it today. Trump follows suit. Although he’s occasionally slipped and uttered the “w” word, Trump and his followers know the American public have no stomach for another war in the Middle East. So they twist themselves inside out, trying to come up with non-war words.

Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters “I think it’s an operation.” Other Republicans in Congress have called it “strategic strikes,” “combat operations,” or a “military mission.” On March 11, Trump himself called it nothing but a “little excursion.”

Also out of the same playbook: Both Putin and Trump falsely accused the other country of starting the war. In 2022, Putin said Ukraine had harmed Russia for so many years, he had “no other choice” but to invade. Using almost the same words, in 2026, Trump blamed Iran for decades of “bloodshed and mass murder” and asserted that “we can’t take it anymore.” Although Ukraine never attacked Russia, and Iran never attacked the United States.

Obviously, Trump didn’t learn anything from Putin. Like his BFF Vladimir, Trump started the war in Iran with unclear goals and shifting objectives. At first, Putin insisted his goal was “regime change.” Then his goals narrowed to seizing most of eastern Ukraine and keeping Ukraine out of NATO. Similarly, Trump still hasn’t provided any straight answer for what his war’s all about. Depending on the last reporter he talks to, he shifts from regime change, to eliminating terrorist threats, to destroying Iran’s nuclear capacity, to wiping out its missile arsenal. It’s impossible for him to win a war, or for the American people to support a war, he can’t explain.

Both Putin and Trump also operated on two false assumptions. One, that the other side would quickly collapse. Instead, both Ukraine and Iran have shown surprising resistance. Two, that once they launched their war, citizens would rise up and topple their own government. Putin urged Ukrainian soldiers to “take power into their own hands.” Trump called on Iranians to “seize the moment.” It didn’t happen in Ukraine and hasn’t in Iran.

Perhaps most troubling, both Putin and Trump started their wars with no obvious, achievable exit strategy. Which has already led to a long, deadly, costly conflict in Ukraine, with still no end in sight. Without a clear end game, many military experts warn that Iran could turn into a “Ukraine-like quagmire.” Trump has no idea how long his war will last. One day, he predicts it’ll take months. The next day, he says it’s already over.

Meanwhile, of course, civilian casualties mount up. As of early 2026, 15,172 civilian deaths were documented in Ukraine. An estimated 1,800 so far in Iran, including 175 school girls, according to a preliminary Pentagon investigation, killed by a misguided U.S. Tomahawk missile. Which Trump, without any evidence, but solely in his “opinion,” blamed on Iran.

One thing for sure. Watching Trump’s war in Iran, now we know why he’s done nothing to stop the war in Ukraine, which – remember? – he promised to end on day one. Why not? Because he’s always had a man-crush on Putin and wanted to be just like him. So now in Iran he’s following Putin’s war-making tactics to the letter. Vladimir must be so proud.

(Bill Press is host of The BillPressPod, and author of 10 books, including: “From the Left: My Life in the Crossfire.” His email address is: bill@billpress.com. Readers may also follow him on Twitter @billpresspod and on BlueSky @BillPress.bsky.social.)

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