Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he was “surprised” that Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine.
“I thought he was negotiating when he sent his troops to the border,” Trump told the Washington Examiner. “I thought he was negotiating.”
The president appeared to qualify his widely condemned praise of Putin last month as “pretty smart” and a “genius” for his troop buildup before the onslaught.
“I thought it was a tough way to negotiate but a smart way to negotiate,” Trump told the conservative outlet.
Trump said he believed Putin’s tactics were…
