Russian President Vladimir Putin said today that the war in Ukraine could have been avoided if Donald Trump had not "stolen the election" in 2020, writes The Daily Mail.

Describing the invasion of his armed forces, he said that the terrible bloodshed that devastated Eastern Europe would not have happened under Trump's presidency.

"I can't disagree with him, if he were president, if his victory had not been stolen in 2020, then maybe there would not have been a crisis in Ukraine that arose in 2022," the Russian president said.

His comments came as part of a wide-ranging interview in which the Kremlin chief praised the recently inaugurated US president, calling Trump "smart and pragmatic" while also signaling a willingness to come to the negotiating table on Ukraine.

"He is not only a smart person, but also a pragmatic one," Putin said.

"As for the issue of negotiations... we have always said, and I want to emphasize once again, that we are ready for these negotiations on Ukrainian issues," Putin said.