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| Former United States President Donald Trump |
Washington - Former United States President Donald Trump said the Russia-Ukraine conflict could develop into World War III. Trump warned of that on Wednesday, shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin explicitly threatened to use nuclear weapons in his war on Ukraine.
Putin in his speech said Moscow would use all necessary means to defend itself in the face of threats to its territorial integrity. Writing on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump said the Ukraine conflict, which began after Russia launched its military offensive in late February, should never have happened.
Trump claims that if he were still in the White House, hostilities would never have broken out between Moscow and Kiev. "As I've been explaining for some time, this could end up being World War III," Trump said, as quoted by Russia Today, Friday (23/9/2022).
On Wednesday, Putin announced the partial military mobilization of some 300,000 reservists who will be called up for active service. "Moscow will use all means to protect our people," he said, referring to the use of nuclear weapons as an option. "This is not a bluff," Putin stressed, saying "Russia will use all available means to protect its independence and security." This is not the first time Trump has sounded the alarm over the fallout from the Ukraine crisis.
In June, he criticized his successor, President Joe Biden, for the way his administration handled the crisis, lashing out at the incumbent for sending tens of billions of dollars in military aid to Kiev, which, he said, only fueled the conflict. “And we are in serious danger with what is happening in Ukraine and with Russia. You could end up with a world war the way they handled it. It's crazy what they're doing," he said at the time.