Former US President Donald Trump said in a new interview with Fox News that a conversation with Vladimir Putin convinced the Kremlin leader to postpone the invasion of Ukraine for several years.

“I have a very good relationship with Putin. I mean, I haven’t talked to him in a long time, but we’ve had a very strong relationship,” Trump told Special Report host Bret Baier after he was asked about his earlier statements that he would reach a deal. . within 24 hours if he becomes president again.

When asked about the invasion, Donald Trump said of Putin that “he wouldn’t dare do it if I were him.” He did it after I left.”

The former Republican president also said he believed Vladimir Putin might attack Ukraine.

“Listen, I talked to him. I told him if you do that you will pay big and fat. It will be a disaster. Don’t do it,” Trump said, adding that Putin initially did not believe he would take action against him in such a situation.

Trump says he threatened the Russian president with retaliatory measures

“I told him I would do something. He said, “No, no, no, you won’t.” I told him, Volodymyr. I will,” the former head of the White House continued, suggesting that Putin believed “maybe 10 percent” of what he was telling him.

But “you only needed 10 percent” to stop the invasion of Ukraine, according to the former US president.

Pressed about his potential plan to end the war, Trump declined to provide specific details, saying it would harm any talks.

“But I’m telling you, within 24 hours, that’s what I did. I became very rich making deals. Very rich. And do you know something? Much more [bogat] than people even understand. And that’s what I’m doing,” added Donald Trump.

He has made several controversial statements since the start of the Russian invasion, saying last August that Ukraine had to give up Crimea and the idea of ​​joining NATO in order to make a deal with Vladimir Putin.

Donald Trump’s controversial statements on the Russian invasion

When asked when, in his opinion, Vladimir Putin will stop, Trump replied:

“Well, I think he’d rather have the whole country. I mean, now that it’s started. I don’t think he wanted to start. I think it was great. He went and put the troops on the board and I think it was a great negotiation. I said, “He’s a good negotiator.”

“I never thought it would come [în Ucraina]”, – added Donald Trump at the time, which clearly contradicts the statements made now.

In January of this year, he also spoke out against sending American tanks to Ukraine, suggesting that this move could lead to a nuclear conflict.

Trump officially filed for the 2024 presidential election in mid-November last year and is currently considered the favorite to win the Republican nomination.

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