Russia and Putin · 2024 campaign · № 76
Said a deal ceding Crimea 'and other parts of the country' could have been made, and welcomed Putin's praise
“You know, that's something that could have been negotiated. Because there were certain parts, Crimea and other parts of the country, that a lot of people expected could happen. You could have made a deal. So they could have made a deal where there's lesser territory right now than Russia's already taken, to be honest.”
- Said
- , NBC's Meet the Press, interview with Kristen Welker at Bedminster, New Jersey
- Subject
- Meet the Press territory
- Type
- Ukraine
- Topic
- Ukraine & Russia
- Era
- 2024 campaign
What happened
In an interview taped at Bedminster, New Jersey and aired September 17, 2023, Kristen Welker's first show as Meet the Press moderator, Trump was asked whether ending the war in 24 hours would mean Putin keeps territory he had 'unlawfully claimed.' He said he would 'make a fair deal for everybody,' then said a deal ceding Crimea and 'other parts of the country' could have been negotiated before the invasion. Welker also read Putin's remark that week that 'we cannot help but feel happy' about Trump's promise to resolve the war within days; Trump replied, 'Well, I like that he said that. Because that means what I'm saying is right.' Asked about Russian attacks on maternity wards and the deportation of Ukrainian children, he said 'It's all terrible' and added that 'nobody was tougher on Russia than me.'