Russia and Putin · Before politics · № 4
Told CPAC Putin's move on Ukraine after the Olympics was 'how smart' and that Putin had sent him a present
“Putin even sent me a present, beautiful present with a beautiful note. I spoke to all of his people and you know, you look at what he's doing with President Obama. He's like toying with him. He's toying with him. So he has the Olympics the day after the Olympics. He starts with Ukraine. The day after, how smart.”
- Said
- , Speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference, National Harbor, Maryland
- Subject
- Crimea, 2014
- Type
- Praise and deference
- Topic
- Ukraine & Russia
- Era
- Before politics
What happened
Trump spoke as Russian forces were moving into Crimea; Russia annexed the peninsula in March 2014, and the United States and the European Union refused to recognize the annexation and imposed sanctions. Trump told CPAC that by taking Crimea Putin was 'taking the heart and soul because that's where all the money is' and predicted 'the rest of Ukraine will fall'. In the same weeks he also backed sanctions: on NBC's Today on March 14, 2014 he said 'We should definitely do sanctions'. In an April 2014 Fox News interview he said of Putin's move, 'And so smart. When you see the riots in a country because they're hurting the Russians, okay, "We'll go and take it over." And he really goes step by step by step, and you have to give him a lot of credit.' At the National Press Club on May 27, 2014 he said he had 'spoke indirectly and directly with President Putin, who could not have been nicer'.
Sources
- Speech: Donald Trump Addresses the CPAC Convention in National Harbor, MD - March 6, 2014
- Before presidential run, Trump called Russia the 'biggest problem' and geopolitical foe of U.S.
- Trump Called Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine "So Smart" In 2014
- Speech: Donald Trump Holds a Town Hall-Style Event in Washington - May 27, 2014
- Trump to look at recognizing Crimea as Russian territory, lifting sanctions