Donald Trump claimed that he allegedly threatened his friend Vladimir Putin with a strike on Moscow if Russia invaded Ukraine. According to Trump, Putin refrained from doing so during his term as US president, citing Trump’s interview with The Wall Street Journal.

"Vladimir, if you pursue Ukraine, I will hit you so hard that you won't even believe it. I will strike right in the center of damn Moscow,'" Trump recounted.

Trump described Putin as his friend and confirmed their good relationship.

"I said, 'We’re friends. I don’t want to do it, but I have no choice.' He goes, 'No way.' I said, 'Way.' I said, 'You’re going to be hit so hard, and I’m going to take those fu-king domes right off your head.' Because, you know, he lives under the domes," Trump added.

According to Trump’s version, Putin allegedly responded by saying he would not invade Ukraine.

During his election campaign, Donald Trump has been presenting a narrative in which Putin did not start a war against Ukraine during his presidency (2016-2020) because he feared the former US president. By doing so, Trump is attempting to highlight the weakness of Joe Biden and his administration.

Additionally, Trump claimed that Putin had warned him about a potential invasion of Ukraine. Trump also asserts that he would end the war with a single phone call.