Conflict would not have happened if Trump was US President in 2022: Putin after Alaska meet | World News

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday said that the conflict in Ukraine would not have started if Donald Trump would have been the President of the United States in 2022.

After the meeting between the two leaders in Alaska, Putin thanked Trump for his cooperation and “friendly tone of conversation”. He said that the past period had been difficult for the relations between the US and Russia, adding that it was necessary to “rectify the situation”.

The Russian President expressed hope that the agreements reached during his talks with Trump would serve as a starting point for settling the conflict in Ukraine and the restoration of relations between Russia and the United States.

Putin said that the next meeting would take place in Moscow, adding that he hoped that Ukraine and Europe would not try to “sabotage” the talks held with Trump in Alaska. He further expressed hope that “mutual understanding” would bring peace to Ukraine.

Putin said he was in agreeement with Trump on the security of Ukraine, while adding that Russia was “sincerely interested” in ending the war.

However, the Russian President said that before a resolution is reached, all root causes of the conflict must be eliminated, and that all of Russia’s concerns must also be taken into account.