Former US President Donald Trump praised on Tuesday Russian President Vladimir Putin's recognition of two separatist regions in eastern Ukraine, describing it as a "genius" act, but he saw that this crisis would never have occurred under his Republican administration.
When Trump was asked during an interview with a right-wing radio station about his opinion of Putin's recognition of the independence of Donetsk and Lugansk;
He replied that he commented while watching television that "this is a work of genius," and added, "Putin declares the independence of a large region of Ukraine, this is wonderful."
Russia faced harsh international reactions after Putin gave orders to his forces to enter Ukraine to maintain peace in the two separatist regions, and this step came with the deployment of tens of thousands of Russian soldiers on Ukraine's borders, and amid warnings of a comprehensive Russian invasion.
Trump promised that Putin's tactics were "smart," without commenting further, and that the United States could apply such tactics at its border with Mexico.
In a separate statement, Trump criticized the way his successor, Joe Biden, managed the crisis in Ukraine, recalling the strong relationship he had with Putin, and stressing that the master of the Kremlin would never have acted in this way under his administration.
"If the crisis had been managed correctly, there would have been no reason for what is currently happening in Ukraine," he said. "I know Vladimir Putin very well, and he would never have done under the Trump administration what he is doing now, it is impossible!"
The rapprochement between Trump and Putin was sharply criticized by the Democratic opposition during the era of the previous Republican administration, and Trump considered the Republican billionaire that the sanctions imposed by the Biden administration are weak, and said, "They are not important compared to the seizure of a country and lands with strategic locations."