Kremlin unable to confirm authenticity of Trump’s “bomb Moscow” remarks

The Kremlin has expressed uncertainty about the authenticity of statements in leaked CNN recordings, in which US President Donald Trump allegedly threatened to “bomb Moscow” to deter Russian aggression in Ukraine. 

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told TASS during a briefing that it is unclear whether the leaked remarks are genuine or fabricated, amid a rising tide of misinformation, Caliber.Az reports.

Responding to questions about the recent CNN leak of audio recordings, Peskov emphasised that he is not authorised to comment on statements made by an American politician on US soil. 

“Whether this is fake or not, we also do not know. There are a lot of fakes these days. Often, there are more fakes than truthful information. And we always proceed from this when analysing various news,” he added. 

The leaked recordings, published earlier by CNN, feature Trump speaking at private fundraisers last year, where he claimed he threatened Russian President Vladimir Putin with the possibility of “bombing the s**t out of Moscow” if Russia invaded Ukraine. 

According to the tapes, Trump said, “With Putin I said, ‘If you go into Ukraine, I’m going to bomb the s**t out of Moscow. I’m telling you I have no choice.’ And then [Putin] goes, like, ‘I don’t believe you.’ But he believed me 10%.”

In the same audio, Trump also described issuing a similar warning to Chinese President Xi Jinping regarding a potential invasion of Taiwan, telling Xi that the US would bomb Beijing in response. 

“He thought I was crazy,” Trump said, but noted, “we never had a problem.”

These remarks were recorded during a series of 2024 fundraising events in New York and Florida and were obtained by journalists Josh Dawsey, Tyler Pager, and Isaac Arnsdorf for their upcoming book, “2024.” The audio had not previously been aired publicly. The Trump campaign has declined to comment on the contents of the tapes.

By Sabina Mammadli