Ukraine War Would Not Have Happened If Trump Was At Helm In 2022: Putin

At the joint press conference that was held after the Alaska meet with US President Donald Trump, his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin said that the conflict in Ukraine would not have started if Trump would have been the President of the United States in 2022.

Trump has repeatedly claimed that he would have averted the Russia-Ukraine conflict that happened when former President Joe Biden was in office. 

Putin reaffirmed his belief in the claim. He said that he had tried to convince Biden to avoid making the situation escalate to a point in which "serious consequences in the form of military actions could occur."

He said, "I would like to remind you, that in 2022, during our last contact with the previous administration, I tried to convince my previous American colleague, the situation should not be brought to the point of no return when it would come to hostilities, and I said it quite directly back then, that it was a big mistake."

He then reiterated Trump's claim that if the latter was president back then, there would be no war.

He added, "President Trump and I established a very good, businesslike and trusting contact. And I have every reason to believe that by moving along this path, we can reach - and the sooner, the better - the end of the conflict in Ukraine."

Putin acknowledged Trump's "friendly tone of conversation" and said that although the past had been difficult for US-Russia ties, he said that it was necessary to "rectify the situation".

Even though the presser did not delineate an outcome, Putin suggested that the second meeting should take place in Moscow, adding, "We hope that Kyiv and the European capitals will perceive all of this in a constructive manner and will not create any obstacles or attempt to disrupt the nascent progress through provocation or behind-the-scenes intrigue."

Trump responded, "I could see it possibly happening." The US president has spoken repeatedly in recent days about wanting to have a second meeting after the Alaska summit.

Putin said the two leaders had reached an "understanding," but neither offered further details. Trump said "some great progress" was made in his bilateral meeting with the Russian president, saying "many points were agreed to," with just a "very few" remaining.