Russian President Vladimir Putin Photo: AP Russian President Vladimir Putin Photo: AP

Echoing the sentiments of US President Donald Trumptmt play, his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Friday claimed that the conflict in Ukraine could have been prevented if Trump was in White House in 2022.

Praising Trump as a “clever and pragmatic man” who is focused on US interests, Putin said, “I couldn't disagree with him that if he had been president, if they hadn't stolen victory from him in 2020, the crisis that emerged in Ukraine in 2022 could have been avoided."

The Russian President also mentioned that Trump was "robbed of the election" in 2020.

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Moreover, Putin reportedly asserted that he was ready to hold a discussion withTrump regarding the ongoing Ukraine war.

"I have a hard time imagining there will be decisions taken that are detrimental to the American economy. As for the issue of negotiations, we have always said, and I want to emphasise this once again, that we are ready for these negotiations on Ukrainian issues" he said, as per theAssociated Press.

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Putin's remarks came a day after Trump warned Putin to come to the negotiation table and “stop this ridiculous war” with Ukraine or face a high-level of sanctions and trade tariffs.

“We can do it the easy way, or the hard way - and the easy way is always better,” Trump wrote in a post on his social media platform Truth Social. “It's time to "MAKE A DEAL." NO MORE LIVES SHOULD BE LOST!!!” he added, as per the Associated Press.

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However, Putin's remarks were in sharp contrast with the statement made by the Russian Foreign Ministry which criticised the ongoing supply of Western arms to Ukrainian forces.

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"Despite the increasingly loud talk about the need for peace talks, no practical actions indicating a real readiness for them on the part of Kyiv and the West are objectively observed. The issue of the legitimacy of the Ukrainian government is not being resolved," the ministry said.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office hit backtmt play, saying that there could be no peace talks between Putin and Trump without the participation of European representatives.