The Vladimir Putin-Donald Trump Alaska summit wrapped up Friday as both leaders headed home. As RedState’s Ward Clark wrote about in detail, there was plenty of news coming out of the press conference held by the two world leaders afterward—however, there was no Russia-Ukraine ceasefire announced at this time. Instead, both presidents described the meeting as cordial and productive and a place to start improving relations.
One moment stood out, however: when Putin agreed with one of Trump’s long-term claims—namely, that the Russo-Ukraine war never would have happened if Donald Trump had been the U.S. president instead of the hapless, ineffective Joe Biden.
"In the end, I would like to add one more thing. I'd like to remind you that in 2022, during the last contact with the previous administration, I tried to convince my previous American colleague...that the situation should not be brought to the point of no return when it would come to hostilities.
"I said it quite directly back then that it's a big mistake," Putin added. "Today when President Trump [said] 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. I think that overall, me and President Trump have built a very good businesslike and trustworthy contact. And I have every reason to believe that moving down this path we can come...the sooner the better, to the end of the conflict in Ukraine."
Watch:
Whoa. That is a bombshell—and quite a knock on Joe Biden by the Russian dictator.
READ MORE: Watch: Putin's Reaction to Trump’s Incredible Military Flex in Alaska
President Trump and President Putin Meet in Alaska--Here's What Happened
It’s unclear what was and wasn’t agreed to during the meeting, but Trump said he would soon call Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders to give them updates. Putin said it was time for a new era in relations:
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that “it’s very important” for Russia and the United States “turn the page to go back to cooperation,” as pressure grows to end the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Putin, who began a news conference with President Donald Trump after nearly three hours of talks between the two leaders in Alaska, said that “the agreement that we reached together will help bring us close to that goal and we will pave the path towards peace in Ukraine.”
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Putin did not explain why he felt that war would not have broken out had Trump been in office, but the fact that he said it is somewhat startling. Although Putin could be playing head games, as he is prone to doing, one still would guess that the U.S. president appreciated the sentiment.
RedState will continue to bring you more news about the summit as it unfolds.