Slip of the tongue?

Hopefully, this is a gaffe.

I’ll give the senator the benefit of the doubt and assume that he misspoke rather than having bought into Russian propaganda as so many in the Trump cult have.

He says “Our nation is united in its resolve to support the brave Ukrainian people and to punish Russia for its illegal war on aggression.”

Did he mean to say ‘punish Russia for its illegal war OF aggression?”

What did he mean? If there’s a war ON aggression, is that similar to a war on terrorism? If so, does he mean that Russia is fighting against aggression, meaning that Ukraine is the aggressor?

That kind of thinking would be aligned with the Russian lies, that they are invading Ukraine for de-Nazification.

Does Tillis have an ear for Russian propaganda?

After all, this was not live TV. It looks like he shot this video in an office and could have easily done another take, dropping off the last two words, “on aggression,” saying “punish Russia for its illegal war.”