Putin echoes claim that Russia-Ukraine war wouldn’t have happened if Trump were president in 2022

08/18/2025 / By Ramon Tomey

Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that the Russia-Ukraine war would not have occurred if Donald Trump had been U.S. president in 2022, criticizing Joe Biden’s leadership during a joint press conference with Trump.
The two leaders (Putin and Trump) held a three-hour private meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, discussing pathways to end the conflict, though no formal peace deal was announced.
Putin endorsed Trump’s long-standing assertion that his leadership would have prevented the war, citing their “business-like and trustworthy” relationship.
The war erupted in February 2022 amid escalating tensions, including Biden’s sanctions on Russia and NATO’s support for Ukraine – actions Putin warned would trigger severe consequences.
The meeting signaled a potential shift in U.S.-Russia relations, with Trump stressing any resolution depends on Kyiv’s acceptance, while Putin urged European allies not to obstruct progress.

In a striking admission, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated unequivocally that the Russia-Ukraine war would never have begun if U.S. President Donald Trump had been in the White House in 2022 instead of former U.S. President Joe Biden.

Putin made this admission during a joint press conference with Trump on Friday, Aug. 15. The press conference followed a three-hour closed-door meeting between the two leaders at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, where the duo discussed pathways to ending the conflict.

Putin’s remarks lend significant credence to Trump’s long-standing assertion that his leadership would have prevented the bloodshed. The conflict, which broke out in February 2022 – during Biden’s term – has claimed tens of thousands of lives and reshaped global security.

The Russian leader recalled his final diplomatic outreach to the Biden administration in early 2022, warning that escalating tensions risked catastrophic consequences. “I said it quite directly back then – it’s a big mistake,” Putin told reporters.

“Today, President Trump is saying that if he was the president back then, there would be no war, and I’m quite sure that it would indeed be so. I can confirm that.”

Putin criticizes Biden’s approach as “adversarial”

The Russian president emphasized his past working relationship with Trump as “business-like and trustworthy,” while criticizing Biden’s approach as adversarial. Trump, who has repeatedly framed the war as a failure of U.S. leadership, echoed Putin’s sentiment.

“If I were president, this would have never happened,” the real estate mogul remarked. “All those dead people, both Russian and Ukrainian … they wouldn’t be dead today. All those cities that are blown up and disintegrated right to the ground, that wouldn’t have happened.” (Related: Trump blames Biden, Zelensky for Ukraine conflict, warns of WWIII with Russia.)

Historical context underscores the gravity of Putin’s statement. The conflict, simmering since Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea under former President Barack Obama, erupted into full-scale war in February 2022. The onset of the war came just weeks after Biden imposed sanctions on Russian banks and halted investment in the Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics.

Biden’s subsequent escalation of economic penalties, coupled with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s military support for Kyiv, prompted Putin to warn of “consequences you have never seen in history.” Now, with Trump and Putin signaling a potential diplomatic breakthrough, the meeting marks a pivotal moment – one that could realign Washington-Moscow relations and reshape the war’s trajectory.

The Alaska summit Friday yielded no formal peace deal, but both leaders struck an optimistic tone. Putin urged Ukraine and European allies not to “throw a wrench in the works,” while Trump cautioned that any resolution hinges on Kyiv’s acceptance: “There’s no deal until there’s a deal.”

For now, Putin’s validation of Trump’s foreign policy critique stands as a political lightning rod – reinforcing arguments that leadership changes could alter global conflicts. Whether this meeting proves a turning point or mere diplomacy theater remains uncertain. But one thing is undeniable: Putin’s words have reignited debate over the war’s origins – and who bears the blame.

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