The meaning of a sentence often changes depending on who feels threatened by it.

The same words land differently depending on what the listener has at stake. A neutral observation becomes an accusation to someone who feels exposed, and a genuine question becomes a challenge to someone already defending. The meaning is not fixed in the sentence; it is completed by whoever receives it.

Before saying something in a tense situation, consider what the other person might feel is at risk. Then adjust the framing rather than the content. You are not softening the truth, only removing the parts that would be heard as an attack, so that the actual point has a chance of arriving.