Former President Donald Trump admitted being “surprised” that Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine and claimed the dictator is a “changed” man.
Conceding that he misjudged the Russian strongman’s intentions, the twice-impeached president said in a new interview that he thought Putin was only massing troops on the border as a “smart way to negotiate” and win concessions from the West or Ukraine.
“I‘m surprised. I thought he was negotiating when he sent his troops to the border,” Trump told the right wing Washington Examiner. “I thought it was a tough way to negotiate but a smart way to negotiate.”
Trump added that he believed Putin was going to cut a “good deal” not launch the brutal invasion that has killed thousands of civilians and threatened to unleash an even wider conflict.
“I figured he was going to make a good deal like everybody else does with the United States and the other people they tend to deal with,” Trump added. “And then he went in.”
The ex-president, who enjoyed a cozy relationship with Putin, mused the Russian leader has somehow changed since Trump left office last year.
“I think he’s changed. It’s a very sad thing for the world,” Trump said. “He’s very much changed.”
The new admissions in the interview amount to a major reversal for Trump, even though he is still sticking to his dubious claim that Russia would not have invaded if he were still in the White House.
He previously heaped praise on Putin as a “very savvy” leader and accused President Biden of bungling the relationship with Russia. Now, he is effectively saying that he would have miscalculated in the run-up to war, a move that could have left the West and Ukraine completely unprepared for the Russian onslaught.
Trump insisted he gets “a bad rap” for coddling Putin and took credit for being “very, very tough,” on Putin.
“I got along with him very well,” Trump said. “But I got along with most (world leaders) very well.”
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