Putin Echoes Trump's Claim That Conflict in Ukraine Could Have Been Avoided

In a surprising alignment of rhetoric, Vladimir Putin has endorsed Donald Trump's assertion that the Ukraine war was preventable, claiming during a marathon press conference that "certain American politicians" blocked peace deals because "they prefer selling weapons to solving problems." The Russian leader produced no evidence for these claims but did display what appeared to be a 2018 email chain with a subject line "Lunch?" that he insists contained the framework for lasting peace. Political analysts note the timing is curious given Putin recently placed nuclear forces on high alert, with one quipping, "This is like an arsonist blaming the fire department for poor water pressure." The Kremlin's new narrative positions Trump as the great peacemaker America foolishly rejected, while Ukrainian officials counter that the only diplomatic solution Putin ever wanted was "surrender written in calligraphy." Meanwhile, Trump has reportedly added the endorsement to his campaign materials, though his team had to clarify that "avoidable" doesn't mean "my fault" in fundraising emails. The most surreal moment came when Putin casually mentioned having "beautiful letters" from Trump that historians now desperately want to see, if only to settle bets about whether they were written in Sharpie. As tensions escalate, one thing seems clear: the 2024 election just became a proxy war over historical revisionism.