Donald Trump (left), Vladimir Putin.Photo: Noam Galai/WireImage; Peter Muhly/WPA Pool/Getty
“I knew Putin very well. Almost as well as I know you, Sean,” Trump, 75, told hostSean Hannityin the Wednesday phone interview.
Trump continued: “And I will tell you, we talked about it, we talked about it a lot, he did want Ukraine. But I said, ‘You’re not going into Ukraine.’ He would never, ever have gone into Ukraine.”
When Hannity asked Trump to comment on whether or not he thought Putin was “evil,” the former president instead complained again about NATO, the American-European military alliance that has worked, despite its tensions, to project a unified response to Russia.
Mariupol, Ukraine, in the wake of an attack during the Russian invasion.EyePress News/Shutterstock
“I think in 100 years people are gonna look back and they’re gonna say, ‘How did we stand back and NATO stand back,’ which in many ways I’ve called the paper tiger,” Trump said, later adding: “Don’t forget, I rebuilt NATO.”
During his term in office, Trump often spoke in glowing terms about Putin, showing an unusual affinity for Russia’s authoritarian president. While in office, Trump said a closer relationship with Russia was in America’s best strategic interests.
Even amid the invasion of Ukraine, Trump referred to Putin as a “genius.”
Trump told conservative radio hostsBuck Sexton and Clay Travisin February: “I went in yesterday and there was a television screen, and I said, ‘This is genius.’ Putin declares a big portion of the Ukraine — of Ukraine. Putin declares it as independent. Oh, that’s wonderful.”
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He continued: “So, Putin is now saying, ‘It’s independent,’ a large section of Ukraine. I said, ‘How smart is that?’ And he’s gonna go in and be a peacekeeper. That’s strongest peace force… We could use that on our southern border. That’s the strongest peace force I’ve ever seen. There were more army tanks than I’ve ever seen. They’re gonna keep peace all right. No, but think of it. Here’s a guy who’s very savvy… I know him very well. Very, very well.”
Earlier this month, Trump again appeared on right-wing media this time to call on Putin to release damaging information aboutthe Bidens.
The remarks echoed a similar gambit thatled to Trump’s first impeachmentin 2019, when congressional investigators said he withheld some $400 million in military aid from Ukraine while he pushed Ukraine’s president,Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to dig into unfounded claims about Joe and Hunter Biden.
source: people.com
