Mr. Trump hopes to have a good relationship with Mr. Putin.

According to RT, for Donald Trump, the fact that the US President has good relations with foreign leaders, even when Washington disagrees with their policies, is “a good thing”. The Republican presidential candidate mentioned his record in relations with Vladimir Putin, claiming that the Russian leader “respects” him.

In an interview with Elon Musk, owner of X (formerly Twitter), which was broadcast live on August 12 (US time), Mr. Trump accused the current US administration of being weak and failing to reach out to a number of foreign leaders.

“I know Mr. Putin very well. I got along very well with him. He respected me and that was one of many things,” the former US president said.

Mr Trump claims to have established a relationship with Mr Putin despite the “Russiagate” attack on his administration, which he says was initiated by his then Democratic rival Hillary Clinton and a group of “crooked people”.

“I hope to get along with him again. You know, getting along with them is a good thing, not a bad thing,” Mr. Trump said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

The Republican candidate also reiterated his claim that the conflict in Ukraine would not have happened on his watch, blaming incumbent President Joe Biden for starting the conflicts.

He recalled the period before the crisis in late 2021 and early 2022, when Russia massed troops in areas near Ukraine after NATO rejected Moscow’s calls to de-escalate tensions. Mr. Trump, no longer in office, said he saw the military buildup as Mr. Putin’s way of trying to reach a deal.

“Putin is a good negotiator. I think he does that to negotiate,” Trump said.

Mr. Trump also cited Biden’s promise to bring Ukraine into NATO despite objections from Russia, which has opposed the U.S. commitment to Kiev since it was first made under President George W. Bush in 2008.