Vladimir Putin told Donald Trump that if Trump had won the 2020 election, there would not have been a war in Ukraine.

Posted by Bulwark Takes, Sep 15, 2026Checked Nov 2, 2026

Polygraph verdictCan’t tell

Sources: 5 support2 context
Said: 1 time·
Confidence: 50%

Bulwark TakesSep 15, 2026

The only source for the private exchange is Trump's own account on Hannity, which the claim relies on, and the Kremlin did not confirm it.

Our two reads of who says this, and how, disagree, so it counts as the post's own claim.

What was said

… He said mail-in voting every election. He said no country has mail-in voting. It's impossible to have mail-in voting and have honest elections. And he said that to me. It was very interesting because we talked about 2020. He said, You won that election by so much, and that's how he got it. He said, And if you would have won, we wouldn't have had a war. You'd have all these millions of people alive now instead of dead. And he said, And you lost it because of mail in voting. It was a rigged election, but mail in voting, Sean. Alright, so just a quick fact check, then I'll turn it over to you. …

Bulwark Takes · Sep 15, 2026· from the transcriptPost →

What we found

Supports. Putin publicly said in January 2025 that the 2022 Ukraine crisis could have been avoided if Trump had been president and his 2020 victory had not been stolen.[1][2][3]

Supports. At the August 2025 Alaska summit, Putin publicly echoed Trump's claim that there would have been no war had Trump been president, saying he was quite sure it would be so.[4][5]

Context. The Daily Beast reported that the Kremlin did not immediately confirm Trump's account of the private conversation, and noted Trump has been known to confabulate conversations.[6]

Context. The claimed private exchange ('if you would have won, we wouldn't have had a war') appears in the sources only as Trump's own recounting, which cannot corroborate it.[6][7]

Sources

7 sources: 7 not rated

1Putin echoes Trump's claims about Ukraine war and 2020 ...latimes.com · not rated · cited for: supports
2www.indiatoday.in › world › storyVladimir Putin says Ukraine war could have been avoided if ...indiatoday.in · not rated · cited for: supports
3Putin says Ukraine war might not have happened if Trump’s 2020 ‘victory’ hadn’t been ‘stolen’ — Novaya Gazeta Europenovayagazeta.eu · not rated · cited for: supports
4Putin strokes Trump's ego, echoing claim that if he'd beaten Biden in 2020 there would be no war in Ukrainethe-independent.com · not rated · cited for: supports
5Trump Says It's Up To Zelensky To Secure Ceasefire ...newsweek.com · not rated · cited for: supports
6How Svengali Putin Keeps Trump the Chump Dancing to His Tunethedailybeast.com · not rated · cited for: context
7Trump, not Putin, budgesthedailystar.net · not rated · cited for: context

Where this claim was made

Said in 1 published post

Bulwark Takes · Sep 15, 2026Post →

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