MOSCOW, RUSSIA - JUNE 24: President of Russia and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Vladimir Putin makes a speech in Red Square during a Victory Day military parade marking the 75th anniversary of the victory in World War II, on June 24, 2020 in Moscow, Russia. The 75th-anniversary marks the end of the Great Patriotic War when the Nazi's capitulated to the then Soviet Union. (Photo by Sergey Guneev - Host Photo Agency via Getty Images )
Former President Donald Trump faulted Russian President Vladimir Putin for Russia’s attack on Ukraine, but once again praised him for his intelligence.
“The smartest one gets to the top,” Trump said referring to North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un who he called “tough,” Chinese President Xi Jinping who he called “strong” and Putin.
“That didn’t work so well recently in our country,” Trump added during a rally in Georgia on Saturday. “But they ask me, ‘Is Putin smart?’ Yes, Putin was smart. And I actually thought he was going to be negotiating. I said, ‘That’s a hell of a way to negotiate, put 200,000 soldiers on the border.'”
He continued on to condemn Russia and Putin’s actions with a caveat.
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“I think [Putin] made a big mistake, what he’s done to so many people, but that was a big mistake,” Trump said. “But it looked like a great negotiation.”
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