Former President Donald Trump sparked controversy by praising Russian President Vladimir Putin and criticizing current President Joe Biden’s response to the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, hours before the Russian military intervention began in the neighboring country.
“In my administration, this would not have happened, ” Trump said last night in an interview with journalist Laura Ingraham on Fox News.
In the opinion of Trump, who a few days ago had affirmed that Putin was “very shrewd” for recognizing two separatist regions of Ukraine as independent, the Russian president dared to go ahead with his plans because he saw “the weakness” of the United States.
However, the former Republican president described the operation launched against Ukraine as “terrible”.
“It is something very sad for the world, for the country and it is without a doubt very sad for many people who are going to be killed unnecessarily,” he added.
But he went back to somewhat justify Putin, saying he didn’t think that was what he “initially” wanted.
“I think he wanted to do something and negotiate it but things went from bad to worse,” he said in a criticism of the response given by the government of the Democrat Biden.
Until now only the leaders of countries like Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba have sided with Putin in this crisis, while the rest of the Western world has condemned the intervention and threatened sanctions never seen before against Russia if it does not cease its aggression against Ukraine.
On February 22, in a statement, Trump said that if it had been “properly handled,” there would have been absolutely no reason for the situation in Ukraine.
“I know Vladimir Putin very well, and he would never have done during the Trump Administration what he is doing now, no way! Russia has become very, very rich during the Biden Administration, with oil prices doubling and soon rising. will triple and quadruple,” he stressed.
According to Trump, the “weak” sanctions raised in the face of the Russian threat on Ukraine are “insignificant in relation to seizing a country and a huge strategically located piece of land.”
“Now that it has started, oil prices are getting higher and higher, and Putin is not only getting what he always wanted, but thanks to the rise in oil and gas, he is getting richer and richer,” he added.
Trump took the opportunity to affirm that the United States was “energetically independent under his Administration, “an independence that we had never obtained before, and oil prices would have remained low.”
“Now what a mess our country is in!” said Trump, who during his Presidency (2017-23021) was subjected to a parliamentary trial for alleged Russian interference in his election campaign, but was acquitted.