‘Putin really let me down’: Trump says he thought war in Ukraine would be ‘easy to solve’
Trump claims Putin wouldn’t have invaded Ukraine if he were president
- 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.