Russian President Vladimir Putin Praises Donald Trump, Suggests Crisis in Ukraine Might Have Been Prevented with His Leadership
Russian President Vladimir Putin made a surprise statement on Friday, claiming that the crisis in Ukraine might have been prevented if Donald Trump was in power at the time, and that he was ready to talk with the new US president about the conflict.
This is the first time Putin has publicly aligned himself with Trump on the issue of Ukraine, and comes after Trump claimed that the war in Ukraine would not have happened under his watch.
Putin made the comments on a Russian TV channel, saying that if Trump’s 2020 election victory had not been “stolen”, then maybe there would not have been the crisis in Ukraine that arose in 2022. He also repeated Trump’s false claim that the 2020 US election was “stolen”.
The remarks from Putin come as Trump and his administration are trying to find a solution to the conflict, with Trump saying that he would meet with Putin as soon as possible to try to find a deal. Putin seemed amenable to the idea, saying that Russia was “always open to” negotiations on the Ukrainian issue.
However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky responded to the comments, accusing Putin of trying to “manipulate” Trump to achieve his goals.
The Russian leader also downplayed the threat of new US sanctions, saying that such a move would harm the American economy. In contrast, Zelensky said that the issue of “Russia’s military potential and Putin’s readiness to continue the war and manipulate the leaders of the world” was discussed during a meeting of Ukraine’s Supreme Commander in Chief Staff.
It remains to be seen if Trump will take up Putin’s offer to meet, but the comments from both leaders highlight the complex and evolving nature of the conflict in Ukraine.
