Trump tells Musk in interview he advised Putin not to invade Ukraine

The former US President reiterated his claim that if he were the head of state, Russia would not have started a large-scale military aggression against Ukraine.

Regarding Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Trump blamed current American President Joe Biden.

In this context, the presidential candidate discussed his relationship with the Russian dictator, stating that he "got along very well" with Putin and that the Kremlin leader supposedly respected him.

"We would talk about Ukraine. It was the apple of his eye. But I told him don't do it,'" Trump says, referring to the full-scale invasion.

He added that he told Putin, "You can’t do it, Vladimir." To which Putin responded, "No way," and Trump said, "Way."

The US presidential candidate also told Musk that, in addition to knowing Putin well, he is also familiar with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Speaking about both dictators, Trump described them as "smart and vicious."

Trump's stance on Ukraine, Russia, peace and war

Previously, Donald Trump stated that he plans to contact Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Kremlin leader Putin in the event of his election victory to "negotiate peace."

Before that, Trump had claimed without specifics that he could end any war with a phone call. He said that under George Bush, Russia invaded Georgia; under Barack Obama, Russia occupied Crimea; and under the current US administration, Russia wants to take all of Ukraine. Trump added that when he was in the White House, Russia did not seize anything.

Additionally, this is not the first time Trump has accused the Biden administration of supposedly being responsible for the start of Russia's large-scale aggression against Ukraine.