Donald Trump defends calling Putin ‘smart’, hints at 2024 presidential bid

Donald Trump, the former US president, has defended his description of Russia's Vladimir Putin as "smart" while seeking to blunt accusations that he admires the invasion of Ukraine.

Trump reiterated his false claim that the 2020 election was stolen by voter fraud as he argued that the invasion of Ukraine would never have happened if he was still in the White House.

"The Russian attack on Ukraine is appalling," he told the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando, Florida, on Saturday night. "It's an outrage and an atrocity that should never have been allowed to occur.

"We are praying for the proud people of Ukraine. God bless them all. As everyone understands, this horrific disaster would never have happened if our election was not rigged and if I was the president."

Election officials, numerous judges and Trump's own attorney general found no evidence that the election was rigged. Having retold "the big lie", he went on to compare himself favourably with other presidents' handling of Putin.

"Under Bush, Russia invaded Georgia. Under Obama, Russia took Crimea. Under Biden, Russia invaded Ukraine. I stand as the only president of the 21st century on whose watch Russia did not invade another country."

Democrats dismissed the speech and condemned Trump for still cosying up to Putin. Adonna Biel, a spokesperson for the Democratic National Committee, said: "After spending four years selling out Ukraine, the defeated former president took the stage at CPAC to double down on his shameless praise for Putin as innocent Ukrainians shelter from bombs and missiles at the hands of Russia.