'This is genius': Trump on Putin's recognition of 2 regions

Trump calls Putin’s Ukraine moves ‘smart’ and ‘pretty savvy’

Brad Dress, The Hill via Nexstar Media Wire

Updated: Feb 23, 2022 / 09:01 AM EST

In this June 28, 2019, file photo President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin walk to participate in a group photo at the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

(The Hill) — Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday called Russia’s recognition of two breakaway territories in eastern Ukraine a “genius” move ahead of its military invasion.

In an interview on “The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show,” Trump said Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recognition of the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics in eastern Ukraine on Monday was “smart” and “pretty savvy.”

“I went in yesterday and there was a television screen, and I said, ‘This is genius,'” he said. “Putin declares a big portion of Ukraine as independent. Oh, that’s wonderful.”

“I said, ‘How smart is that?’ He’s going to go in and be a peacekeeper,” added Trump, who regularly praised and sought close ties with Putin during his time in office. “That’s the strongest peace force. We could use that on our southern border, that’s the strongest peace force I’ve ever seen. There were more army tanks than I’ve ever seen. They’re going to keep peace all right.”

Following his recognition of the two Donbas areas, which are controlled by Russian-backed separatists, Putin moved troops into the area, leading to international condemnation.

President Joe Biden called the troop movement “the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine” and slapped Moscow with multiple sanctions on Tuesday.

“If Russia goes further with this invasion, we stand prepared to go further as with sanctions,” Biden said.

In his interview, Trump repeated his claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him, and said if he had remained president, Putin would never have attempted something like this.

“It never would have happened with us. Had I been in office, not even thinkable,” Trump said. “You know what the response was from Biden? He didn’t have a response.”

The former president, who has been teasing a 2024 presidential run, also released a statement on Tuesday arguing, “There was absolutely no reason that the situation currently happening in Ukraine should have happened at all.”

“Russia has become very very rich during the Biden Administration, with oil prices doubling and soon to be tripling and quadrupling,” he said. “The weak sanctions are insignificant relative to taking over a country and a massive piece of strategically located land.”