--- title: Eric Trump: Syria Airstrikes Debunk Claims of Russia Ties description: Eric Trump said his father's decision to strike Syria is proof he has no connections to Vladimir Putin and the Russian government. canonical: https://time.com/4734889/eric-trump-syria-airstrikes-russia-assad-putin/ author: Alana Abramson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-04-11T18:15:04.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-08T08:45:13.548Z article:section: Politics og:title: Eric Trump: Syria Airstrikes Prove No Collusion Between Russia and His Father og:description: “If there was anything that Syria did, it was to validate the fact that there is no Russia tie,” Eric Trump told The Telegraph. og:url: https://time.com/4734889/eric-trump-syria-airstrikes-russia-assad-putin/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3904446f549199ca/6988acf6e20a871d93a93154/eric-trump-bullet.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: 2016 Republican National Convention - Day 3 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Eric Trump: Syria Airstrikes Prove No Collusion Between Russia and His Father twitter:description: “If there was anything that Syria did, it was to validate the fact that there is no Russia tie,” Eric Trump told The Telegraph. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3904446f549199ca/6988acf6e20a871d93a93154/eric-trump-bullet.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Syria Strike Proves There's No Collusion Between Trump and Russia, Eric Trump Says > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=7d8adac3-ff52-43b2-8372-f6ae8a30336c&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: President Trump Orders Military Strike on Syria [Watch (HLS stream): President Trump Orders Military Strike on Syria](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/fuS4JDGh.m3u8) (2:46)  _Published 2017-04-07. President Donald Trump makes statements regarding the US airstrikes on Syria._  by [Alana Abramson](https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/)  ## Alana Abramson Apr 11, 2017 6:15 PM UTC  by [Alana Abramson](https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/)  ## Alana Abramson Apr 11, 2017 6:15 PM UTC Eric Trump said in a new interview that his father’s decision to conduct [unilateral missile strikes against Syria](http://time.com/4730231/us-missile-airstrike-attack-syria-donald-trump-bashar-assad/) is proof he has no connections to [Vladimir Putin](http://time.com/4734440/vladimir-putin-rex-tillerson-russia-us/) and the Russian government. “If there was anything that [Syria](http://time.com/4734439/syria-chemical-attack-sarin-gas-turkey/) did, it was to validate the fact that there is no Russia tie,” Eric Trump, who took over [Donald Trump](http://time.com/4710614/donald-trump-fbi-surveillance-house-intelligence-committee/)‘s real estate business after he became President, said in an interview with the British newspaper [_The Telegraph._](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/04/10/donald-trumps-action-syria-proves-not-league-putin-says-son/) The United States launched [missile strikes against Syria](http://time.com/4732428/trump-syria-no-strategy/) last week following a [deadly chemical weapons attack ](http://time.com/4730805/syria-airstrikes-map/)in the country that killed dozens of civilians, including children. Russia is backing Bashar Assad and the Syrian government in the country’s six-year civil war. The U.S. is holding Assad accountable for the chemical attack, and has concluded Russia knew about the attack in advance, [the Associated Press reports. ](http://time.com/4733504/syria-airstrikes-russia/?xid=homepage) “If they disrespect us and if they cross us, fine. There will be no one harder — he has got more backbone than anybody,” Eric Trump said of his father. “He is not a guy who gets intimidated. I can tell you he is tough and he won’t be pushed around. The cards will shake out the way they do but he’s tough.” MORE: [The G-7 Wants Russia to Pressure Syria, But It Won’t Sanction Moscow ](http://time.com/4734365/g7-russia-syria/?xid=homepage) Questions of ties with Russia have dogged Trump and his associates since the 2016 presidential campaign. FBI Director James Comey has confirmed there is an ongoing investigation into possible ties between Russia and members of the Trump campaign during the 2016 election, and the House and Senate intelligence committees are conducting their own investigations into the matter. The [Trump Administration](http://time.com/4690004/colbert-on-sessions-russia/) has repeatedly denied any connections to Russia. ## Transcript Syrian dictator Bashar al- Assad, launched a horrible chemical weapons attack on innocent civilians. Using a deadly nerve agent, as I choked out the lives of helpless men, women And children. It was a slow and brutal death for so many. Even beautiful babies were cruelly murdered in this very barbaric attack. No child of god should ever suffer such horror. Tonight I ordered a targeted military strike on the airfield in Syria from where the chemical attack was launched. It is in this vital national security interest of the United States to prevent and deter the spread and use of deadly chemical weapons. There can be no dispute that Syria used banned chemical weapons. Violated it's obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention and ignored the urging of the UN Security Council. Years of previous attempts at changing Assad's behavior have all failed and failed Very dramatically. As a result, the refugee crisis continues to deepen. And the region continues to destabilize, threatening the United States and its allies. Tonight I call on all civilized nations to join us in seeking to end the slaughter. And bloodshed in Syria. And also, to end terrorism of all kinds and all types. We ask for God's wisdom as we face the challenge of our very troubled world. We pray for the lives of the wounded. And for the souls of those who have passed. And we hope that as long as America stands for justice, then peace and harmony will in the end prevail. Good night And God bless America and the entire world. Thank you. 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