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In a recent interview with Russia state television, Vladimir Putin expressed agreement with Donald Trump's claim that the war in Ukraine, which began in 2022, "might not have happened" if Trump had been president at the time. Putin suggested that if Trump had not lost the 2020 election, there might not have been a crisis in Ukraine. He described Trump as "smart" and "pragmatic," praising their "business-like, pragmatic and trusting" relationship. Putin also echoed Trump's narrative regarding the 2020 election being "stolen."

Putin's comments mark a significant endorsement of Trump's perspective on the origins of the Ukraine conflict and seem to serve a dual purpose: reinforcing Trump's revisionist narrative while signaling Russia's openness to negotiations with the U.S. on Ukraine and other issues. However, he noted that Ukraine has legally banned negotiations, complicating the situation further. Ukrainian officials and many Western analysts have cautioned that excluding Ukraine from potential peace talks would be problematic.

In a separate context, Putin declined to discuss the possibility of Israel and the U.S. targeting Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has speculated that military actions could lead to regime change in Iran, while Trump mentioned that the U.S. knows Khamenei's location but is not planning to take action "for now." When asked about the potential consequences of such an action, Putin expressed his reluctance to engage in the discussion. He also stated that while Russia has a strategic partnership with Iran, it does not include military cooperation, and Iran has not formally requested military assistance.