Putin makes new claim on Ukraine after talks with Trump

"I recall that in 2022 I tried to convince my former American counterpart (referring to Joe Biden – ed.) that we shouldn't push the situation to the point where serious consequences in the form of hostilities could begin… Today, we hear President Trump say that if he had been president, there would have been no war. I believe that's exactly what would have happened. I confirm that,” Putin said.

According to the Russian leader, the issue of war was one of the central topics during the meeting in Alaska. In particular, he said that Trump is seeking to understand the "roots of the Ukrainian conflict," and cynically referred to Ukrainians as a "brotherly people."

Continuing his speech, Putin claimed that Russia is interested in ending the war, but that "all root causes of the crisis must be eliminated."

At the same time, he cynically added that Ukraine’s security "must certainly be ensured" and that he is supposedly ready to work on this.

"We hope that the understanding we have reached will allow us to move closer to our goal and open the way to peace in Ukraine. We expect that Kyiv and European capitals will approach this constructively and will not obstruct it," Putin stated.

Trump–Putin meeting in Alaska

Earlier today, Trump and Putin held talks in Alaska. The three-on-three meeting lasted almost three hours at a military base in Anchorage. It had been expected that after the three-on-three session, there would be a lunch and a larger meeting between the delegations, but Trump and Putin went straight to the press.

Before the talks, Trump had said he hoped the Alaska meeting with Putin would result in "some form of ceasefire" in Ukraine. However, no statement about a truce was made following the negotiations.