Former US President and 2024 Republican White House nomination frontrunner, Donald Trump, expressed his satisfaction at receiving praise from Russian leader Vladimir Putin regarding his stance on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In a recorded interview with Kristen Welker of NBC’s Meet the Press, Trump remarked, “I like that he said that. Because that means what I’m saying is right.”
These comments by Trump, which NBC previewed ahead of the full interview’s Sunday morning broadcast, elicited condemnation from various political quarters. The Republicans against Trump group, for instance, shared a clip of his remarks on X (formerly Twitter), with the message, “A vote for Trump is a vote against America.”
During Trump’s previous term in the Oval Office, one of the recurring themes was Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 presidential election, which he won. Putin has endorsed Trump’s claims that he could swiftly resolve Russia’s conflict with Ukraine if re-elected. However, Trump’s assertions on this matter have drawn criticism from both Republican and Democratic opponents, who argue that it would involve conceding to Putin’s demands, given his forces’ invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Nonetheless, Trump reiterated his stance during the interview with Welker, stating that he would bring Putin and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy “into a room and get a deal worked out.”
When pressed for specifics on his approach to ending the war in Ukraine, Trump declined to provide details, stating, “If I tell you exactly, I lose all my bargaining chips.”
In response to Welker’s mention of Russian attacks on civilians and the ICC’s arrest warrant for Putin on war crimes charges, Trump acknowledged the gravity of the situation, saying, “It’s all terrible.”
Despite facing more than 90 criminal charges across four indictments related to various matters, including election subversion, retention of classified information, and hush-money payments, Trump maintains his innocence and portrays himself as a victim of political persecution. He also continues to lead in national and key state polls for the 2024 Republican presidential primary.
