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Donald Trump has claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin wouldn't have invaded Ukraine if he was still President.
Over half of Americans believe that Putin wouldn't have sent troops across the border into Ukraine had Trump still been President of the US, and it seems like the 75-year-old agrees.
Not only that, but according to Trump, Putin even confirmed it in a previous conversation the pair had.
When questioned by Kyle Forgeard for the 'Full Send' podcast as to whether he still keeps in contact with Putin, Trump stated he hasn't 'spoken to him since' leaving office.
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He said: 'But, he was never, ever going to - certainly under the Trump administration - and I say zero chance, I don't say like I don't think, zero chance he would've done it, and I spoke to him about it.'
Referencing current President Joe Biden's withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan after a 20 year occupation, Trump said that Putin 'saw the weakness'.
He continued: 'He saw Afghanistan. The incompetence of the withdrawal. The way they did it was so bad.
'Who advised them to take soldiers out first and leave people behind? And the soldiers were in no danger. We had, again, not one soldier was killed in 18 months.
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'And when they saw the incompetence, the gross incompetence, I believe that Putin became a different man when he saw that.
'He viewed the United States differently. He no longer respected the United States.'
Speaking to Sean Hannity from Fox News this week, Trump said that 'bad things' have been happening to the country since what 'looked like a complete surrender' in Afghanistan.
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'I'll tell you Vladimir Putin was watching and Xi Jinping and the leaders of Iran were watching and Kim Jong-un was watching, North Korea, they were all watching, Sean,' he noted.
Trump claimed he had 'a very strong conversation with President Putin' which has made him so assured that the invasion wouldn't have happened under his watch.
He explained: 'He understood and I won't go into the great details of the conversation because no one has to know that. But I will tell you that it never would have happened if I was President.'
Trump also claimed that the 'tremendous years' under his administration 'which helped bring about the greatest economy we have ever had,' also acted as proof of Putin choosing not to invade when he was President.
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While Trump's theory about whether or not Putin would have invaded when he was President chimed with 62% of 2,026 registered voters in the recent Harvard Centre for American Political Studies (CAPS)-Harris poll, his rant about windmills didn't hit home quite the same way.
Putin's views might also have changed slightly given that the former President - despite how he allegedly 'admires' Putin - suggested that the US should 'bomb the s*** out of Russia' and blame it on China.
If you would like to donate to the Red Cross Emergency Appeal, which will help provide food, medicines and basic medical supplies, shelter and water to those in Ukraine, click here for more information
Topics: Donald Trump, Russia, Vladimir Putin, US News