Former President Donald Trump has shared his fears that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could ultimately lead to a ‘world war’.
Trump said that although there may be no intention to start a global conflict, the unpredictability of the situation made it even more precarious.
‘Thousands of people, I mean, this can lead to much bigger than this one area. This could lead to a lot of other countries and can lead to world war,’ Trump said.
‘You never know how it starts, in a world war. You never think a war is going to come out of it. All of a sudden, you end up in a world war. This is a very dangerous period for our nation, for the country.’
Former President Donald Trump has said he is concerned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could lead to a ‘world war’
Trump also took aim at President Biden’s current tactic of imposing punitive sanctions on Russia, saying they weren’t enough – although the White House is also supplying Ukraine with weaponry.
‘They’re going to have to do more than just sanctions, I suspect,’ Trump said.
‘Putin understands how to avoid sanctions, and he goes through other countries. He goes to China as an example.
‘It is a horrible thing. It should never have happened under any circumstance, and it is what it is,’ Trump said to Fox News on Saturday. ‘But there’s great bravery being shown, and I think they’re doing one hell of a job, much more so than anybody would have thought possible.
‘I just think it’s a shame that this is going on. It’s something that should not be going on,’ Trump, 75, said. ‘It is very sad, but there is a great amount of bravery being shown right now that’s been pretty incredible,’ he added.
The former president gave the interview in Orlando, Florida where he had been speaking at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference.
Trump made the remarks before staking to the stage at CPAC in Orlando, Florida where he said the U.S.’s current ‘leaders are so dumb’
The former president – who vowed not to start any new wars during his time in office, and stuck to that promise – would not be drawn on how he might have dealt with the invasion had it occurred during his presidency.
‘I would do things, but the last thing I want to do is say it right now, because if somebody asks me that is in a position where they can utilize whatever it is I give them, but I certainly wouldn’t want to be talking about it on television or to the media too much, but there are things you can do that would be very powerful.’
At one point, Trump was asked if he had spoken with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky but he would not be drawn.
‘I don’t want to say, I just don’t want to say,’ he said.
Trump called besieged Zelensky ‘a brave man,’ falsely claiming that the Ukrainian leader had exonerated him over the scandal that led to his first impeachment.
Trump said President Joe Biden will have ‘to do a lot more if he is to control Russian President Vladimir Putin. Biden is pictured on Friday
While he was president, Trump withheld vital military aid from the US ally as he tried unsuccessfully to pressure Zelensky into digging up political dirt on the Biden family ahead of the 2020 election.
His remarks came as Russian rockets began pounding the outskirts of Kyiv in an escalating crisis that ended up emerging as a major topic of discussion at CPAC.
While on stage at the conference, Trump blamed Russia’s invasion of its neighbor on Biden’s ‘weakness’ and lavished praise on President Vladimir Putin’s intellect.
‘As everyone understands, this horrific disaster would never have happened if our election was not rigged and if I was the president,’ he said, to rapt applause.
‘The Russian attack on Ukraine is appalling. We are praying for the proud people of Ukraine. God bless them all,’ Trump said.
While on stage at the conference, Trump blamed Russia’s invasion of its neighbor on Biden’s ‘weakness’ and lavished praise on President Vladimir Putin’s intellect. Putin is pictured earlier this week
NATO, he said, was ‘looking the opposite of smart’ for hitting Russia with sanctions rather than resolving to ‘blow Russia to pieces — at least psychologically.’
‘The problem is not that Putin is smart, which of course he’s smart,’ he went on. ‘But the real problem is that our leaders are so dumb.’
Trump cited Russia’s invasion of Georgia under George W. Bush and Crimea under Barack Obama before declaring: ‘I stand as the only president of the 21st century on whose watch Russia did not invade another country.’
Trump also addressed his past praise of Putin, saying he was correct that Putin was smart because he was outfoxing world leaders and NATO.
Trump was asked if he had spoken with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, pictured on Friday, but he would not be drawn
CPAC, the country’s largest conservative gathering, usually offers a valuable insight into the direction the Republicans plan to take over the coming months.
Trump had been expected to lay out a forward-looking ‘vision for America,’ according to organizers, as the Republicans look to take back control of Congress in November’s midterm elections.
Instead he dwelt at length on his 2020 election loss and his false claims that he was robbed by widespread voter fraud, urging the crowd to ‘fight like hell’ or face their country being destroyed.
It was similar to the rhetoric that inspired a mob of his supporters to storm the US Capitol on January 6 2021, for which he was punished with his second impeachment.
