Putin tells Trump there’d have been no Ukraine war if he was president in 2022

Russian President Vladimir Putin has told Donald Trump that the war in Ukraine would not have started if Trump had been in office in 2022, praising the former U.S. leader’s approach as key to ending the conflict.

“Today when President Trump is saying that if he were president, there would have been no war, I am quite sure that it would indeed be so,” Putin said during a joint press conference in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday. “Overall, me and Mr. Trump have built a very good, business-like and trustworthy contact, and I have every reason to believe that moving down this path, we can come to the end of the conflict in Ukraine.”

Trump, speaking later in a Fox News interview, echoed Putin’s sentiments and claimed the Russian leader had confirmed his long-standing allegation that the 2020 election was rigged. According to Trump, Putin told him: “Mail-in voting makes it impossible to have honest elections… You won that election by so much. If you had won, we wouldn’t have had a war.”

No breakthrough in talks

Despite the warm rhetoric, the high-profile summit produced no concrete agreement on Ukraine. The meeting, expected to last seven hours, wrapped up in less than three. Both leaders issued brief prepared statements but took no questions.

Putin said Russia remained committed to ending the war but insisted that its “primary causes” must be addressed for peace to last. He warned Ukraine and the European Union against “backroom dealings” and attempts to “torpedo the nascent progress.”

Trump described the discussions as “extremely productive,” saying there was “a very good chance” of securing a ceasefire. Still, he conceded that “significant” sticking points remained. “There’s no deal until there’s a deal,” he told reporters.

By the time both men departed Alaska, none had been reached.

Optics and backlash

The visit nevertheless delivered a public relations boost for Putin, who has been ostracised by much of the West since invading Ukraine in 2022. He received a red carpet welcome, a U.S. fighter jet flypast, and applause from Trump’s supporters. The Russian leader beamed as he left the tarmac in Trump’s presidential limousine, “The Beast.”

“For three years they [Western media] have been talking about Russia’s isolation, and today they saw the red carpet that greeted the Russian president in the United States,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova gloated on Telegram.

But back in Washington, Trump faced sharp criticism. Representative James McGovern of Massachusetts blasted the warm reception for Putin, calling it “shameful and embarrassing.”

“Trump rolls out the red carpet for a war criminal. On American soil. The U.S. government should be arresting Putin, not hosting him,” McGovern wrote on X.

Business talk resurfaces

Before the summit, Trump had pledged to keep discussions focused on peace in Ukraine. Yet Putin revealed that the pair also touched on trade, technology, and space cooperation.

“Investment and business cooperation has tremendous potential. Russia and the U.S. can offer each other so much,” Putin said, hinting at collaboration in high-tech sectors and Arctic development.

Looking ahead

Trump closed the meeting by thanking Putin and suggesting a follow-up. “Next time, in Moscow,” Putin quipped in English, drawing laughter.

Trump admitted he might “get a little heat” for such a visit but did not rule it out. He also floated the idea of a trilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and NATO leaders.

Speaking to Fox News’ Sean Hannity, Trump rated the summit “10 out of 10.” But he made clear the pressure is now on Kyiv: “Now, it’s really up to President Zelenskyy to get it done… Make a deal.”