Ukraine war could have been averted if Donald Trump's 2020 victory was not 'stolen': Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed on Friday (local time) that "the crisis in Ukraine" might have been prevented if US President Donald Trump was in power at the time, saying he was ready to talk with the him about the conflict, CNN reported.

Notably, Trump has long claimed that the war in Ukraine would not have happened under his watch, but on Friday, Putin suggested the same thing- while also repeating Trump's allegation that the 2020 US election was "stolen".

"I can't help but agree with (Trump) that if his victory had not been stolen in 2020, then maybe there would not have been the crisis in Ukraine that arose in 2022," CNN quoted Putin as saying to a Russian TV channel.

The Russian President further affirmed that Moscow has always been ready for negotiations on the Ukraine issue. "As for the issue related to negotiations - we have always said, and I will emphasize this once again, that we are ready for negotiations on the Ukrainian issue," he told the Russian TV channel. A day earlier the Kremlin said it was waiting on "signals" from Washington.

Trump has said in the past that he would end the war in Ukraine in "one day", but later gave his special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg 100 days to find a solution. Trump's new administration has so far not unveiled any concrete plan for how to achieve peace in Ukraine, but Trump said this week that Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had told him he wants to make a deal and suggested Putin should also want to find a solution, as reported by CNN.

"So, I think Russia should want to make a deal. Maybe they want to make a deal. I think from what I hear, Putin would like to see me. We'll meet as soon as we can. I'd meet immediately. Every day we don't meet soldiers are being killed in a battlefield," Trump told reporters on Thursday. Earlier this week, during his virtual address at the World Economic Forum, President Trump reiterated the urgent need for a peace settlement to end the "horrible" war and expressed his desire to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin soon.

Trump described the conflict as one of the deadliest conflicts since World War II, emphasising that millions of lives have been lost on battlefields and farmlands, and that millions of soldiers are being killed. Prior to this, the US President called for an immediate resolution to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine and warned of potential economic consequences for Russia, including "taxes, tariffs, and sanctions." 

Trump also emphasised his long-standing admiration for the Russian people and his past positive relationship with President Vladimir Putin. 

(this story has not been edited by DNA staff and is published from ANI)