Putin says he ‘would not have invaded Ukraine’ had Trump received the 2020 election
Vladimir Putin has claimed he would not have invaded Ukraine if Donald Trump had won the 2020 US election, as the Russian president’s motorcade was seen rushing to the Kremlin ahead of a bombardment
Vladimir Putin has claimed he wouldn’t have launched an invasion of Ukraine if Donald Trump had won the 2020 US election. Broadcasting his thoughts on RT, the Russian leader remarked to a correspondent: “If he [President Trump] had been the president. If the victory wasn’t stolen from him in 2020, maybe the Ukrainian crisis that arose in 2022 would have never appeared.”
Thursday saw 10 Russian locales plus the annexed Crimea pelted by Ukraine, while ex-US head honcho Donald Trump announced his eagerness to parley with Putin for a ceasefire. “I think Russia should want to make a deal,” the former commander-in-chief asserted to the press. “Maybe they want to make a deal. From what I hear, Putin would like to meet with me. We will meet as soon as we can. I would meet immediately. Every day that we don’t meet, soldiers are dying on the battlefield.”
Trump didn’t shy away from speaking about Volodymyr Zelenskyy either, noting: “He’s lost a lot of soldiers, and so has Russia….but Russia has lost more.”
Meanwhile, Putin was spotted speeding on his motorcade on Thursday night, right before Ukrainian drones unleashed havoc on the west of Russia, reports the Mirror.
The reason for this remains a mystery as Trump heaps the pressure on for Putin to halt his “ridiculous” war or risk sanctions, tariffs, and a collapse in oil prices—threats that could ravage the Russian economy. Though Putin occasionally lives within the fortress walls of the Kremlin, his usual home is a luxe mansion just outside Moscow’s city limits.
Meanwhile, Sergei Shoigu, the head of Putin’s security council and former defence minister known for his aggressive stance, has warned of a potential war between nuclear powers. “Against the backdrop of increasing conflict and intensifying geopolitical rivalry in the world, the risks of a violent clash between major states, including with the participation of nuclear powers, are increasing,” Shoigu told TASS, the official Russian news agency.
Baza media outlet reported that Ukraine had “staged the most massive attack on Russian regions since the beginning of 2025”. Drones were reportedly targeted at Moscow, the Russian capital, but were shot down.
The Ryazan oil refinery, one of Russia’s largest and crucial for fuel supplies to Moscow, was also targeted. The refinery, which has a capacity of 18 million tonnes a year, is owned by state company Rosneft, led by Putin’s close ally Igor Sechin.
There were complaints about a shortage of emergency workers to tackle the ensuing inferno.
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