Donald Trump’s stance toward Russia seems to have taken a surprising turn. At one time, the former President of the United States appeared to have a cordial relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, a leaked audio tape, revealed by CNN, indicates a much more confrontational attitude. Allegedly, Trump stated he had threatened Putin to bomb Moscow, prompting a response from Russia itself.
The relationship between the United States and Russia is one marked by complexity and historical tension. The Russian invasion of Ukraine three years ago set off a series of global political shake-ups and significantly altered international relations, including those between the US and Russia.
Donald Trump famously claimed to have a good rapport with Vladimir Putin, suggesting that he could swiftly end the conflict between Ukraine and Russia within 24 hours of taking office. Despite these claims, such resolution did not occur, although Trump did have several phone discussions with the Russian leader.
“I believe he wants peace,” Trump remarked of Putin during that period. “I mean, I know him very well. Yeah, I think he wants peace. I think he would tell me if he didn’t… I trust him on this subject.”
But times have indeed changed. Efforts at peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia have faltered dramatically. Just recently, during a Cabinet meeting, Trump expressed disappointment with Putin’s apparent reluctance to pursue peace. “I’m not happy with Putin,” Trump declared. “I’m very unhappy with them.”
Trump’s Alleged Threat: Moscow in His Crosshairs
Despite not being vocally critical of Putin in public, Trump’s private remarks suggest a very different approach last year. CNN reported obtaining a recording from Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, during a meeting with donors, where he claimed to have threatened dramatic actions against Moscow in retaliation should Putin move on Ukraine.
“With Putin, I said, ‘If you go into Ukraine, I’m going to bomb the sh*t out of Moscow. I’m telling you I have no choice,’” Trump is heard saying during a 2024 fundraiser recording, according to CNN. “[Putin] goes, like, ‘I don’t believe you.’ But he believed me 10%.”
Trump also reportedly extended a similar warning to Chinese President Xi Jinping regarding potential military actions against Taiwan, threatening Beijing in a like manner.
“He thought I was crazy,” Trump said of Xi, noting, “we never had a problem.”
The details of these tapes have been further chronicled by reporters Josh Dawsey, Tyler Pager, and Isaac Arnsdorf in their book titled, 2024.
Neither Trump nor his administration has commented on the audio tapes leaked by CNN. While the material is presented as being from 2024, the exact details of when and where Trump supposedly spoke with Putin remain ambiguous.
Russia’s Response to the Leaked Claims
Russia was quick to address the allegations surfacing from the audio tapes. According to Newsweek, citing the Russian news agency TASS, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov chose not to confirm or deny the threat attributed to Trump regarding Ukraine.
Remarkably, Peskov noted there had been no telephone conversations between Putin and Trump outside of Trump’s presidency.
“The fact is that there were no telephone conversations then,” Peskov stated. “After all, we are talking, as far as I understand, about the period when Trump was not yet the president of the United States.”
Peskov added, “Whether this is fake or not, we also do not know. There are a lot of fakes now. Often, there are many more fakes than true information. And we always proceed from this when we analyze certain news.”
This development leaves much room for debate and speculation. What are your thoughts on this situation? Feel free to share in the comment section!
