Donald Trump praises Putin’s ‘genius’ plan to invade Ukraine but says it ‘would never have happened’ under his watch

DONALD Trump has praised Vladimir Putin’s "genius" plan to invade Ukraine - just hours after he said it would never have happened under his watch. 

The former US president made the remarks while speaking on the conservative podcast The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show today.

Trump, 75, said: “I went in yesterday and there was a television screen, and I said, ‘This is genius.’ Putin declares a big portion of the Ukraine – of Ukraine. 

"Putin declares it as independent. Oh, that’s wonderful."

He added: “I said, ‘How smart is that?’ And he’s going to go in and be a peacekeeper. That’s the strongest peace force I’ve ever seen.

“Here’s a guy who’s very savvy… I know him very well. Very, very well."

Just hours earlier, the 45th President insisted Russian troops would never have advanced if he was still in office.

He wrote in a statement: "If properly handled, there was absolutely no reason that the situation currently happening in Ukraine should have happened at all.

"I know Vladimir Putin very well, and he would have never done during the Trump Administration what he is doing now, no way!"

Trump's comments came as his successor Joe Biden set out US sanctions against Russia, warning Putin was preparing to “start a war”.

In a statement from the White House, Mr Biden said the measures were only the "first tranche" and he would "escalate sanctions if Russia escalates".

The American president said intelligence suggested Russian forces were moving "supplies of blood and medical equipment" to the Ukrainian border as they prepared for an invasion.

And he announced the US would immediately block the Russian government from using Western financial markets to raise money.

Laying out the sanctions against Russia, Mr Biden said: "We're implementing full blocking sanctions on two large Russian financial institutions, VEB and their military bank.

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"We're implementing comprehensive sanctions on Russian sovereign debt.

"That means we've cut off Russia's government from Western financing, it can no longer raise money from the West and cannot trade in its new debt on our markets or European markets either."

He added the US would also impose sanctions on Russia's elites and their family members starting from tomorrow.

But Trump has referred to the moves as “weak sanctions,” slamming Biden as a man who has "no concept of what he's doing".

Russia has sent 10,000 troops into pro-Russia breakaway enclaves, with the Kremlin saying further territory held by Ukrainian forces should belong to the two self-declared republics.

In a further chilling development today, Russia's parliament voted to allow Vladimir Putin to use armed forces abroad.

And Vladimir Putin said he is in favour of "demilitarisation" in Ukraine.

The much feared Russian advance began in the early hours, soon after Putin announced he recognised Luhansk and Donetsk as independent states.