Russian President Vladimir Putin has stirred the pot with a surprising claim: the ongoing crisis in Ukraine might not have happened if Donald Trump had stayed in the White House. This comes as Putin echoed Trump’s controversial assertion that the 2020 U.S. election was “stolen.”

In an interview with a Russian TV channel, Putin said, “I can’t help but agree with [Trump] that if his victory hadn’t been taken in 2020, maybe the Ukraine crisis of 2022 wouldn’t have happened.” This statement is particularly striking since Putin himself ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Trump has repeatedly boasted that the war in Ukraine wouldn’t have started under his leadership. He’s even claimed he could end the conflict in a single day. Recently, Trump revealed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed interest in making a deal, suggesting Putin might be open to negotiations too.

Putin didn’t shy away from the idea of meeting with Trump, stating that Russia is “always open” to talks. “We are ready for negotiations on the Ukrainian issue,” he emphasized.

This back-and-forth comes as Trump hinted at possible sanctions against Russia during the World Economic Forum in Davos. Putin, however, dismissed the threat, arguing that such measures would backfire and hurt the U.S. economy.

The comments add another layer of intrigue to the already tense relationship between the U.S. and Russia. Whether this leads to any real progress in resolving the Ukraine conflict remains to be seen, but the dialogue between these two figures continues to capture global attention.