Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on Friday that if his American counterpart Donald Trump had not lost the 2020 elections, the Ukraine war might have been avoided. Describing Russia's decision in February 2022 to invade Ukraine as a crisis, Putin remarked to state media that such a conflict wouldn't have occurred under Trump's presidency.
The Daily Mail quoted Putin, emphasizing the sentiment, "I agree with him; if they (Trump) were president, and hadn't lost in 2020, perhaps the Ukraine crisis in 2022 could have been avoided."
Trump has claimed that the 2020 election, where he lost to Democrat Joe Biden, was stolen from him. Putin lauded Trump, tagging him not only a smart person but a practical individual as well.
He added that Russia is ready to broker a deal to end the Ukraine conflict with the assistance of America.
Putin expressed, "It seems difficult to imagine decisions being made that would harm the American economy. Regarding the topic of dialogues, we have always insisted, and I emphasize again, that we are ready for discussions on Ukrainian issues."
Contrarily, Putin's comments were in stark contrast to an earlier statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry, which criticized the continuous supply of Western weapons to Ukrainian forces and referred to Kyiv as an illegitimate government.
The ministry mentioned, "Despite the escalating discussions about the necessity for peace talks, there has been no practical movement from Kyiv and the West signaling genuine readiness. The legitimacy of the Ukrainian government remains unresolved."
Trump Claimed He Could End War in 24 Hours
During his election campaign and while Biden was president, Trump claimed that he could negotiate an end to the Ukraine war in 24 hours if he were in power. However, since Trump took office, there is no visible end to the conflict, though observers hope the Republican leader will take firm action to pressure both Russia and Ukraine into signing a peace agreement.
Trump had previously warned that if Moscow did not come to the negotiation table, he would impose sanctions on Russia and increase arms supply to Ukraine.
