WASHINGTON: Former US President Donald Trump has claimed that the ongoing Ukraine conflict would never have started if the 2020 US elections hadn’t been “rigged” and Joe Biden hadn’t replaced him in the presidency.
In a recent interview, Trump maintained that Russia would not have launched its military operation in Ukraine if he were still occupying the White House.
Ukraine is so sad, Trump said. “[Putin] would have never done it if the election weren’t rigged, our election. It was rigged and stolen. If that election wasn’t rigged, if I were president, you would right now have millions of people living that are dead,” a transcript of the former president’s interview reads.
Trump added that if he were still in office, the issue of Taiwan would not be a prominent topic of discussion.
Trump claims close communication with Putin, Xi
He claimed to have maintained close communication with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, despite suggesting that their relationships were not particularly close during his presidency.
Furthermore, Trump criticized the policies of President Joe Biden, labeling him as “the most corrupt and inept president”.
He expressed concerns that his leadership could potentially escalate into a nuclear conflict, even leading to a third World War. Trump stated, “This individual lacks the necessary understanding,” as he assessed Biden’s leadership.
Last month, the former president also penned an op-ed in Newsweek, suggesting that the Ukraine conflict had been influenced, in part, by the infamous Russiagate investigation. This FBI inquiry, launched due to allegations of collusion between Trump and Russia during his 2016 presidential campaign, was criticized in a report by special counsel John Durham earlier this year, which asserted that it was initiated based on biased sources.
Trump argued that the probe was conducted at a crucial juncture when efforts should have been made to de-escalate tensions with Russia. Instead, he claimed it undermined relations with Moscow and contributed to a “mass hysteria” that pushed the US to engage in a “proxy war” against Russia.
In July, the former president expressed concerns about the US’s nuclear arsenal, stating that the country was in a “very unwise and precarious position” due to its fewer nuclear weapons compared to Russia.
He advocated for improved relations with Moscow, emphasizing the importance of fostering cooperation between the two nations.
