‘If Trump were president, there’d be no war’: Putin echoes POTUS’s claim, slams Biden after Alaska meet

Russian President Vladimir Putin, after his meeting with US President Donald Trump in Alaska, said on Friday (Aug 15) that the conflict in Ukraine would not have started if Trump had been the President of the United States in 2022. He made the remarks at the joint press conference following the two leaders held talks on the war in Ukraine. This echoes the US president’s claim that he would have prevented the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which started during the term of former president Joe Biden.

Following the meeting in Alaska, Putin said that he had tried to convince Biden not to make the situation escalate to a point of “serious consequences in the form of military actions.”

“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 said.

Reiterating the US president’s claim that there would have been no war if Trump were the president, Putin said, “When President Trump is saying that if he was the president back then, there will be no war — and I’m quite sure that it would indeed be, so I can confirm that.”

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.”

Thanking Trump for his cooperation and “friendly tone of conversation,” the Russian president said that the past had been difficult for US-Russia relations, adding that it was necessary to “rectify the situation.”

Putin further said that the next meeting would 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.”

The statement was echoed by Trump, who said the two leaders had a “very productive meeting,” which lasted about three hours. While no deal on a ceasefire in Ukraine was reached during the talks, Trump said “many, many points” were agreed on, with only a few major sticking points remaining. He added that he would call NATO and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to brief them on what was discussed in the meeting.