When Donald Trump decided to launch nearly 60 tomahawk cruise missiles at a Syrian airbase last week, it was done in retaliation to the chemical weapons attack by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. While the international community were mostly in favor of Trump's decision, there were a few foreign nations that weren't pleased.
Putin's claim
Ever since the early days of the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump has been forced to fight off speculation that he has been in cahoots with the Russian government and President Vladimir Putin.
Whether it was his refusal to release his tax returns, or his past and current associates having some link back to the Kremlin, the former host of "The Apprentice" has been under constant scrutiny about his potential relationship with Russia. Since defeating Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton last November, that speculation has only increased, as various reports have confirmed that Russia not only hacked the Democratic National Committee during the election, but that they did it in favor of Trump. In the weeks that have followed, several of Trump's associates and allies have been revealed to have been in communication with Russian officials, with retired Gen.
Michael Flynn actually being forced out of his role as National Security Adviser because of it. Fast forward to present day and the link between Russia and the United States might not be as strong, with Putin now accusing the Trump administration of framing Syria for the aforementioned chemical attack, as reported by The Hill on April 11.
According to The Hill on Tuesday, Vladimir Putin is getting ready to call on the United Nations to conduct an investigation into the chemical attack last week in Syria. Putin is claiming, without providing evidence, that the Donald Trump administration is preparing to fake Assad's use of chemical weapons in order to launch another strike on the country.
Hard-line stance
"We have information that a similar provocation is being prepared," Vladimir Putin said, claiming that the alleged framing of Syria will take place in the "southern Damascus suburbs where they are planning to again plant some substance and accuse the Syria authorities of using (chemical weapons)." Putin's comments come not long after United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson gave the Kremlin an ultimatum to either side with Syria or the United States over the issue at hand. As of press time, no proof has been presented to back up the claims made by Russia against the United States, and the Donald Trump administration has not yet responded to the baseless allegations against them.