Putin claims Ukraine war could have been avoided if Trump was President

Russian President Vladimir Putin has made a bold statement, claiming that the ongoing war in Ukraine would not have occurred had Donald Trump been in the White House. 

Putin praised the former U.S. President as a "smart leader" and suggested that Trump‍‍`s approach could have prevented the conflict. This report comes from AFP.

In a televised interview on Friday, Putin said,

"We are prepared to discuss the Ukraine issue with U.S. President Trump. He is a smart leader. If he had been President, the conflict that started in 2022 might have been avoided."

While Putin did not specify a date for any potential talks with Trump, he indicated a willingness to engage in discussions. The Kremlin had earlier said they were waiting for a signal from Washington to begin negotiations.

Interestingly, just the day before, Trump mentioned he would be speaking with Putin soon.

During the interview, Putin reiterated his stance on dialogue, saying, 

"We have always been open to talks. I want to stress again, we are ready to discuss the Ukraine issue."

Putin also emphasized his high regard for Trump, describing him as "smart and pragmatic." He added, 

"If he were still President—if his 2020 victory hadn‍‍`t been stolen—the Ukraine crisis in 2022 might not have happened."

Russia‍‍`s invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, and shortly after, U.S. President Joe Biden stepped in to support Ukraine with financial and military aid. 

Since then, relations between the U.S. and Russia have deteriorated further.

At the time, Trump had claimed that if he were President, he could have ended the war within 24 hours.

With these remarks, Putin has raised new questions about the impact of Trump’s absence in global politics, as well as the possibility of future discussions between the two leaders.