Trump says what prompted Putin to invade Ukraine

US President Donald Trump has said that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin's decision to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine was provoked by the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan. This was stated by the head of the White House during an interaction with journalists at the White House.

According to him, the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, which followed, was a signal for the Kremlin to make a decision to invade Ukraine.

'I think Putin sat back and looked at these stupid people who are running our country and said: 'This is the time to invade.' And then Biden made the statement, 'Well, he might do a little invasion.' After that, things went downhill from there, didn't they? - the president said.

U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan

Following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, US military forces, along with allied armies, entered Afghanistan to bring al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden to justice and limit the terrorist organisation's ability to threaten US security.

on 29 February 2020, the US and Taliban leaders signed a peace agreement, the Afghanistan Peace Accord. The document provided for the withdrawal of all regular US and NATO troops from the country, committing the Taliban to counter al-Qaeda in controlled areas and negotiate with the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

However, the military withdrawal was not without complications. on 26 August 2021, explosions erupted near the Kabul airport where the evacuation was taking place.

As a result of the terrorist attack, 13 U.S. military personnel were killed. In total, 183 people were killed and the number of wounded reached 210. Responsibility for the attack was claimed by the group "Islamic State in Khorasan".