Russian President Vladimir Putin has publicly endorsed Donald Trump’s assertion that the war in Ukraine would not have occurred if Trump had won the 2020 U.S. election and served as president when the conflict began.
During a press conference following their summit in Alaska, Putin stated he agrees with Trump’s claim, citing past attempts to avoid conflict with the previous administration. The meeting has sparked political debate, with critics comparing the optics of the meeting to a contentious encounter between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Trump at the White House earlier in 2022.
Trump has faced pushback on the claim, as well as on claims that Ukraine instigated the war’s inception and the Biden administration failed to do things that could have thwarted it from beginning in the first place.
Earlier in his address, Putin lamented that bilateral relations between the U.S. and Russia, prior to Trump, had ‘fallen to the lowest point since the Cold War,’ and highlighted the fact that there have been no summits between the U.S. and Russia over the last four years.
‘That’s not benefiting our countries and the world as a whole,’ Putin said, adding that it was ‘apparent that sooner or later [U.S. and Russia] had to amend the situation to move on from the confrontation to dialogue.’
Meanwhile, Putin praised Trump for ‘his strive to get to the crux of the matter and to understand this history,’ referring to the backstory surrounding the war. He called the commitment ‘precious.’
The Russian president also remarked during his address that he hopes this new chapter of foreign diplomacy under Trump will ‘help us rebuild and foster mutually beneficial and equal ties at this new stage, even during the hardest conditions.’
‘Overall, me and President Trump have built a very good business-like and trustworthy contact, and have every reason to believe that moving down this path we can come to the end of the conflict in Ukraine,’ Putin said Friday.
The optics of Trump’s meeting with Putin were slammed by critics, who compared the scene Friday to when Ukrainian President Zelenskyy met with Trump at the White House. The infamous meeting saw Zelenskyy publicly argue back-and-forth with Trump and other top leaders in the administration, as President Trump criticized the Ukrainian president for his approach to ending the war.
‘Biden could’ve stopped it, Zelenskyy could’ve stopped it, and Putin should’ve never started it,’ Trump said in April about the war in Ukraine.
Despite the political fallout, Trump has continued to assert that the U.S. government was aware of the risk of conflict before the war began. His position has drawn criticism from both domestic and international observers, who argue that such statements may be politically motivated rather than grounded in fact.
Analysts suggest that the meeting between Putin and Trump has the potential to influence the ongoing narrative around the war in Ukraine. While some view it as a diplomatic breakthrough, others remain skeptical about the real intentions of both leaders. The potential for dialogue remains uncertain, but both parties have expressed a willingness to engage in discussions to de-escalate the situation.
The meeting also highlights the complex dynamic between the U.S. and Russia, with both nations grappling with the consequences of their geopolitical rivalry. As the situation in Ukraine continues to evolve, the actions and statements of both leaders will play a crucial role in shaping the future of the region.