Former US President Donald Trump has reiterated his positive relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, stating he “gets along very well” with the Russian leader, Telegraph reported on Tuesday.
Speaking at a town hall event in Oaks, Pennsylvania, Trump suggested that the war in Ukraine would not have occurred if he were still in office.
Addressing the audience, many of whom wore “Make America Great Again” hats, Trump shared his perspective on the conflict: “I get along very well with Putin,” he said. Referring to Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine, he continued, “It was the apple of his eye, he used to talk about it, but I said, ‘you’re not going in.’” He blamed current President Joe Biden for the war, suggesting that Putin seized the opportunity to act because he viewed Biden as weak.
Trump also claimed to have had a good relationship with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and vowed to end the ongoing war in eastern Europe before his potential return to the White House. “Biden has done nothing about it – he hasn’t even spoken to Putin in over a year,” Trump remarked. “This is a war that has to end and I’m going to get that war ended… I’m going to try to get that war ended as president-elect.”