Donald Trump condemns Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, hints at 2024 presidential bid

Former United States President Donald Trump on Saturday condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine, calling it ‘appalling’ and ‘horrific’.  

“The Russian attack on Ukraine is appalling,” he told the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando, Florida, adding, “It’s an outrage and an atrocity that should never have been allowed to occur.”

“We are praying for the proud people of Ukraine. God bless them all,” Trump added, according to The Guardian.

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He then went on to reassert his false claim that the 2020 presidential election had been rigged – for which no evidence has been found. “As everyone understands, this horrific disaster would never have happened if our election was not rigged and if I was the president,” Trump said.  

He also hinted again at a third presidential run after 2016 and 2020. “We did it twice, and we’ll do it again. We’re going to be doing it again a third time,” according to The Guardian report.

Trump’s denouncement of Putin, however, marks a shift from his statement from earlier this week, when he had praised the Russian President for his moves against Ukraine, terming his recognition of the independence of two breakaway regions ‘savvy’ and ‘genius’.

During a podcast interview on the ‘Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show‘ Tuesday, he had said, “I went in yesterday, and there was a television screen, and I said, ‘This is genius.’ Putin declares a big portion of Ukraine as independent. Oh, that’s wonderful. I said, ‘How smart is that? And he’s going to go in and be a peacekeeper.”

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At CPAC on Saturday, he defended himself by saying, “The problem is not that Putin is smart – which of course, he’s smart – but the real problem is that our leaders are dumb. They’ve so far allowed him to get away with this travesty and an assault on humanity.”

“So sad. Putin is playing Biden like a drum and it’s not a pretty thing as somebody that loves our country to watch,” the former President added. 

Notably, the White House had responded to Trump’s earlier statements in favour of Putin, saying that the Joe Biden administration did not seek advice from those heaping praises on Putin.   

Trump, in a separate statement, had argued that the Ukraine crisis could have been averted altogether if it had been “properly handled” by President Joe Biden, who defeated him in the 2020 election.

“Under Bush, Russia invaded Georgia. Under Obama, Russia took Crimea. Under Biden, Russia invaded Ukraine. I stand as the only president of the 21st century on whose watch Russia did not invade another country,” the Republican said during the 85-minute speech at CPAC.