Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday said the 2022 invasion of Ukraine that resulted in a full-blown war might not have happened had Donald Trump been U.S. president at the time.
President Trump has said at various times that the war would not have broken out had he been in office in 2022, including in a Wednesday post on Truth Social. On Friday, Putin addressed such remarks in an interview with Rossiya TV correspondent Pavel Zarubin.
“I can only agree with him that if he had been president, if his victory had not been stolen in 2020, then there has not been the crisis in Ukraine that arose in 2022,” Putin said.
Newsweek contacted the White House and Kremlin by email on Friday to comment.
Former President Joe Biden was a major ally to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in his fight against Putin’s invasion that began nearly three years ago.
During his presidential crusade in 2024, Trump criticized the billions of dollars that Biden’s management spent on Ukraine and said that if he were at the negotiating table with Putin and Zelensky, the war between two nations would end “within 24 hours “
Although there have been long-standing accusations of a close meeting between Trump and Putin, the U. S. president on Wednesday called on Putin to conclude a deal to end the war with Ukraine or face more sanctions from the United States and its allies.
Trump also said he would like to talk to Putin, who will soon talk about the end of the war, and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, said the Russian leader is “ready” to talk on the phone with Trump and wait a reaction from Washington , D. C.
Trump said the invasion of Ukraine in 2022 would not have taken his position if he had been in office.
According to Russian media outlet Independent Meduza, Putin agreed with Trump on Friday while talking about Rossiya TV. He also mentioned the issue of the verbal exchange with Trump.
“Russia has never refused contact with the U.S. administration. It wasn’t our fault that the previous administration refused those contacts. I’ve always had professional, yet pragmatic, and, I would say, trusting relations with the current U.S. president,” Putin said to Zarubin, per Meduza.
President Donald Trump wrote on his Truth social networks on Wednesday: “Come in this war, which would never have begun if I were president, we can do it in the simplest way or in the most difficult way, and the simplest way is better”.
Republicans Against Trump, a social media account that’s critical of the president, wrote on X (formerly Twitter) about Putin’s Friday comments: “This is an obvious attempt by Putin to remind Trump that they’re on the same team.”
You don’t know when Trump and Putin can talk. Meanwhile, Zelensky said Tuesday that his government is actively executing on organizing an assembly with the U. S. president.
Update 01/24/25 1:00 p. m. And: This story has been updated to come with more information.
Jon Jackson is based at the New York-based publisher. It focuses on reports on the Ukraine and Russia War. Jon has previously worked for The Week, The River Journal, Den of Geek and Maxim. She graduated Summa laude with honors in journalism and mass communication from New York University. Languages: English.