<div class="css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn" data-testid="companionColumn-0"><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">President Trump’s <a class="css-yywogo" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/08/us/politics/trump-putin-ukraine.html" title="">harsh words</a> in recent days about President Vladimir V. Putin marked a sharp break from the strikingly positive posture he has taken for years toward the Russian leader.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">During the 2016 presidential campaign, Mr. Trump repeatedly praised Mr. Putin and predicted the two men would forge a productive relationship. When Russia was preparing to invade Ukraine in 2022, Mr. Trump called Mr. Putin a “<a class="css-yywogo" href="https://www.clayandbuck.com/president-trump-with-cb-from-mar-a-lago" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="">genius</a>” for moving to seize large swaths of territory — applauding what he viewed as hard-line negotiation tactics.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">“How smart is that? And he’s going to go in and be a peacekeeper,” <a class="css-yywogo" href="https://www.clayandbuck.com/president-trump-with-cb-from-mar-a-lago" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="">Mr. Trump said</a>, adding: “Here’s a guy who’s very savvy. I know him very well.”</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">As Mr. Putin’s army slaughtered civilians in <a class="css-yywogo" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/22/video/russia-ukraine-bucha-massacre-takeaways.html" title="">a Ukrainian suburb</a> and <a class="css-yywogo" href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/12/26/world/europe/ukraine-war-children-russia.html" title="">abducted Ukrainian children</a> to Russia, Mr. Trump called such actions “terrible,” <a class="css-yywogo" href="https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/meet-press-september-17-2023-n1307173" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="">but stressed</a> that he “got along with him really well.” Mr. Putin responded with his own compliments, saying that he couldn’t “<a class="css-yywogo" href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/09/17/donald-trump-vladimir-putin-praise-00116414" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="">help but feel happy about</a>” Mr. Trump’s continued support for a negotiated peace favorable to Russia.</p></div><aside aria-label="companion column" class="css-ew4tgv"></aside></div><div data-testid="Dropzone-1"></div><div class="css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn" data-testid="companionColumn-1"><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Many of Mr. Trump’s comments about Mr. Putin have reflected his anger about the U.S. investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 election that dominated his first term.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">“Let me tell you, Putin went through a hell of a lot with me,” <a class="css-yywogo" href="https://youtu.be/ajxSWocbye8?feature=shared&amp;t=2853" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="">he said in February</a>, seated next to President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine in the Oval Office.</p><div class="css-kbghgg"><div class="css-121kum4"><div class="css-171quhb"></div><div class="css-asuuk5"><noscript><div class="css-7axq9l" data-testid="optimistic-truncator-noscript"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="css-1b5b8u1" height="24" viewbox="0 0 24 24" width="24"><path clip-rule="evenodd" d="M2.5 12a9.5 9.5 0 1 1 19 0 9.5 9.5 0 0 1-19 0Zm8.5 1.75v-7.5h2v7.5h-2Zm0 2v2h2v-2h-2Z" fill="currentColor" fill-rule="evenodd"></path></svg><div class="css-6yo1no" data-testid="optimistic-truncator-noscript-message"><p class="css-3kpklk" data-tpl="t">We are having trouble retrieving the article content.</p><p class="css-3kpklk" data-tpl="t">Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.</p></div></div></noscript><div class="css-1dv1kvn" id="optimistic-truncator-a11y" tabindex="-1"><hr/><p>Thank you for your patience while we verify access. 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