Putin proves Trump right: He assures that the invasion of Ukraine would not have happened if he had been president in 2022

After a historic summit that ended ahead of schedule and without agreement on a ceasefire in Ukraine, Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin exchanged positive remarks at a short press conference, without answering questions from reporters. Notably, Putin delivered a public relations gift to the U.S. leader, giving him reason for his claim that the war in Ukraine would not have happened if he had been in the White House in 2022, rather than former President Joe Biden.

"Today President Trump was saying that if he was president back then there would be no war, and I'm quite sure that it would indeed be so," Putin said. "I can confirm that."

Putin's comments drew mixed reactions, including postings from conservative activists who saw the remarks as a political triumph for President Trump, who has sharply criticized his Democratic predecessor for his position on the Russia-Ukraine war and other issues in foreign policy.

Trump was also mildly complimentary of Putin at the press conference, in which he called the summit "extremely productive," though he acknowledged that his main goal, a peace deal, was not yet achieved.

Trump also told Fox News that the meeting was a "10 out of 10," despite criticism from journalists present who remarked on the fact that the summit lasted less than planned by both delegations, including skipping the meal that was planned.

At the end of the press conference, Putin even invited Trump to a meeting in Russia, to which the U.S. president was grateful.

"Thank you very much, Vladimir," President Trump stated right at the end of the joint address. Speaking in English, Putin threw out his invitation: "Next time in Moscow."

Trump replied, "Oh, that's an interesting one. I don't know. I'll get a little heat on that one, but I could see it possibly happening. Thank you very much, Vladimir, and thank you all."

Many U.S. media outlets noted how unusual a Trump conference was without questions from the press, a hallmark of the Republican president, who usually gives lengthy press conferences and answers most reporters' questions.

Overall, the reaction in the U.S. press is that the summit was "anticlimactic" and "disappointing." At the time of publishing this article, Russian state media has not commented on the conclusion of the meeting, limiting themselves to reporting the announcements of the leaders.