Trump claims Putin wouldn’t have invaded Ukraine if he were president

WorldPolitics
18 Sep 2025 • 11:23 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

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  • Donald Trump stated that Vladimir Putin has "really let me down" by not taking steps to end the war in Ukraine.
  • Speaking at a press conference at Chequers alongside Sir Keir Starmer, Trump believed his personal relationship with Putin would make the conflict "easiest to solve".
  • Hopes for a peace deal did not materialise following a summit between Trump and Putin in Alaska last month, where Trump urged talks with Volodymyr Zelensky.
  • Trump suggested Putin would "drop out" of the war if oil prices decreased and appealed to European countries to halt purchasing energy from Russia.
  • He also claimed Putin initiated the war because he "didn't respect the leadership of the United States" at the time, implying it would not have happened under his presidency.

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