Russian President Vladimir Putin has publicly supported a legal move taken by U.S. President Donald Trump, saying the American leader “acted correctly” by filing a lawsuit over an edited video clip.
Speaking during his annual year-end press conference on Friday, Putin responded to a question about Trump’s decision to sue the BBC over an edited segment of one of his speeches.
Putin said that Trump was justified in taking legal action, arguing that editing public statements in a misleading way can seriously distort their meaning and impact public perception.
The lawsuit, filed by Trump against the British public broadcaster BBC, reportedly seeks at least $10 billion in damages. The case is linked to edited portions of a speech that allegedly made it appear as though Trump had encouraged supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol.
The BBC has since issued an apology for the edited clip but stated that it plans to defend itself legally in the case.
The issue has sparked renewed debate around media responsibility, video editing practices, and the influence of shortened or altered clips on public opinion, especially during politically sensitive moments.