Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested that his country’s invasion of Ukraine would not have happened if current US President Donald Trump had been in office in 2022.
“I can’t help but agree with (Trump) that if his victory had not been stolen in 2020, then maybe there would not have been the crisis in Ukraine that arose in 2022,” the Kremlin chief told Russian state-run news Channel 24.
Putin claimed that his country, which invaded Ukraine in February of 2022 under his direct orders, was “always” ready for talks.
“Regarding negotiations, we have always said — and I want to emphasize this again — that we are ready for talks on the Ukrainian issue,” Putin told Russian media.
Putin went on to shift blame for the lack of negotiations onto Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Meeting will happen soon
On Wednesday, Trump said that he would heavily tax and sanction Russia if a deal was not reached soon to end the “ridiculous” conflict. However, Putin claims this would harm the American economy, something he believes Trump wouldn’t do.
“He is not only a smart person, he is a pragmatic person, and I can hardly imagine that decisions will be made that will harm the American economy itself,” Putin said, according to the Moscow Times. He added that he has always had a “businesslike, pragmatic, and even trusting relationship with the current president.”
“It’s certainly better that we meet and, based on current realities, discuss calmly all areas of interest to both the US and Russia,” the Russian President stated, adding that he expects to meet with Trump soon.
Later on Friday, Zelensky emphasized that Putin was attempting to “manipulate” peace talks to exclude Ukraine and Europe.
“He wants to manipulate the desire of the President of the United States of America to achieve peace,” Zelensky said during his daily address on Telegram. “I am confident that no Russian manipulations will succeed anymore.”
Ukrainian leadership has continually stated that negotiations without Ukrainian and European input would be unfeasible.
“Putin is trying to promote the idea of negotiations with the US. But he wants to agree on the fate of Europe — without Europe. And he wants to talk about Ukraine — without Ukraine,” Ukrainian President’s Office Head Andriy Yermak said in a Friday statement on Telegram.