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On Tuesday evening, Donald Trump gave a phone interview from his residence in Mar-a-Lago. In it he commented on Putin’s war and admitted his own misjudgment of the situation.
In an interview, Trump spoke about the war in Ukraine and his political dealings with Russia.
AFP/Mikhail Klimentyev
Donald Trump gave an exclusive interview on Tuesday.
In it he commented on the war in Ukraine and admitted that he was wrong about Putin.
At the same time, he defended his attitude towards Putin and his political decisions.
In an interview with the Washington Examiner on Tuesday, Trump spoke about the Russian invasion of Ukraine and his own relationship with President Putin. He admitted he believed that Putin’s threats and the movement of Russian troops to the Ukrainian border were just a negotiation strategy. “I thought it was an aggressive way to negotiate, but a smart way to negotiate,” Trump said in an interview, adding, “I thought he was trying to make a good deal.”
Words of praise for Putin in the past
Trump attributes Putin’s decision to launch a war of aggression in Ukraine to the fact that it is no longer the same as it used to be. “I think he’s changed. It’s a sad thing for the world. He’s changed a lot,” he said in an interview.
Trump is not alone in his misjudgment of the Russian invasion. Numerous political observers thought that Putin’s actions were purely threatening gestures. More embarrassing for Trump than this miscalculation are the many positive comments he made about Putin during and after his tenure. Trump never tired of emphasizing his excellent relationship with the Russian ruler.
On February 23, Trump described Putin’s actions on the Ukrainian border and the recognition of the Ukrainian separatist areas as “brilliant” and “wonderful”. Again he emphasized his closeness to Putin: “I know him very well. Really really good.” At the same time, since the invasion, Trump has tirelessly maintained that this war would not have happened if he were still in office and not his successor, Joe Biden.
Trump put pressure on Selenski
In addition, Trump committed a possible abuse of office and power in the context of the Ukraine affair in 2019, which led to his first impeachment trial. At the time, Trump had spoken to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the phone. According to a whistleblower, Trump made US support for Ukraine dependent on Zelenski opening corruption proceedings against Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden.
“Who was tougher against Russia than me?”
In the interview with the Washington Examiner, Trump tried to put his relationship with Putin into perspective and put himself in a positive light. He said: “I was very, very tough in dealing with Putin.” Trump has two main arguments for this: his commitment to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and the increased military spending that he had demanded from his NATO allies. From this he concludes: “If you think about it, who was tougher on Russia than me?” Nevertheless, he emphasizes again: “At the same time, I got along very well with him. But I got on very well with most heads of state.”
Other Republicans, such as Trump’s Vice President Mike Pence, have meanwhile severely criticized Putin and stated that there is no place for Putin sympathizers in the Republican Party, as reported by the Washington Examiner. Even within his own party, Trump is now pretty much on his own with his sympathetic attitude towards Putin.