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 get along very well with him. He respects me and that’s one of the many things,” the former US president said.

Mr Trump claimed to have established a relationship with Mr Putin despite the “Russiagate” attack on his administration, which Mr Trump said 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,” 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, who was 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 Russia’s objections. Moscow has opposed the US commitment to Kiev since it was first made under President George W. Bush in 2008.