Trump said he is “surprised” Putin followed through on his threat to invade Ukraine: “I thought he was negotiating when he sent his troops to the border.”
for recognizing two breakaway "republics" in eastern Ukraine as independent two days before Russian forces launched an attack on the entire country.What he's saying:
"I’m surprised," he told the Examiner on Tuesday. "I thought he was negotiating when he sent his troops to the border. I thought he was negotiating.""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 — you know, like every trade deal. We've never made a good trade deal until I came along," he added.
"And then he went in — and I think he’s changed. I think he’s changed. It’s a very sad thing for the world. He’s very much changed." Trump said that he gets a "bad rap" on his relationship with Putin. "I’ve been very, very tough on Putin," he said. "At the same time, I got along with him very well. But I got along with most [world leaders] very well."earlier this month that it's inaccurate to say Trump's behavior "deterred the Russians."
"In almost every case" Trump would complain that the U.S. was "being too hard" on Russia, Bolton said.
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