Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that the ongoing war in Ukraine would not have started if Donald Trump had been president in 2022. His remarks were made during a joint press conference with Trump in Alaska, following a three-hour closed-door meeting with top advisers.

Putin emphasized his previous attempts to communicate with the Trump administration, saying, "I’d like to remind you that in 2022, during the last contact with the previous administration, I tried to convince my previous American colleague the situation should not be brought to the point of no return when it would come to hostilities. And I said it quite directly back then that it’s a big mistake."

He continued, "Today, when President Trump is saying that if he was the president back then, there will be no war — and I’m quite sure that it would indeed be so. I can confirm that."

Trump has consistently claimed that the war would not have occurred under his leadership. During a CNN town hall in May 2023, he reiterated this belief, stating, "If I were president, this would have never happened, and even the Democrats admit that."

He added, "A lot of things would have never happened. All those dead people, both Russian and Ukrainian… they wouldn’t be dead today, and all those cities that are blown up and disintegrated right to the ground, that wouldn’t have happened."

Putin contrasted his relationship with Trump to that with President Joe Biden, describing it as "business-like and trustworthy." He expressed hope for a resolution to the conflict, saying, "I think that overall, me and President Trump have built a very good business-like and trustworthy contact, and have every reason to believe that moving down this path, we can come and the sooner the better to the end of the conflict in Ukraine."

While Trump acknowledged Putin's comments as "profound," he did not directly respond to the assertion that the war would not have happened under his presidency. Instead, he reminded Putin that no business deals would occur until the Kremlin ends its war on Ukraine, highlighting the leverage the U.S. holds.

In a later interview with Fox News, Trump expressed satisfaction with Putin's remarks about Biden, stating, "It was stupid… Biden was a terrible president in so many ways. He should have never let it happen." When asked if Putin provided specific reasons for the war's occurrence under Biden, Trump replied, "He did. But I know the reason — it’s gross incompetence."