Putin echoes Trump claim Ukraine war could have been avoided if he was in office

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a meeting of the board of trustees of the Lomonosov Moscow State University in Moscow, Russia (Ramil Sitdikov/AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday echoed US President Donald Trump’s claim the conflict in Ukraine could have been prevented had he been in the White House in 2022.

He also said Moscow is ready for talks with the US on a broad range of issues.