Former US president Donald Trump has blamed incumbent Joe Biden for the war in Ukraine and called on Europe to up spending to support Kiev.
Russian President Vladimir Putin "would have never invaded Ukraine" if the United States "had a real president," Trump said as he was facing off against Biden in the first televised debate ahead of November's razor-close presidential election.
Trump again claimed he would be able to "settle" the war if re-elected, even ahead of January 20, when he would be inaugurated if he won the presidency. He did not say how he would achieve that, however.
Trump also demanded that Biden pressure European allies to spend more on supporting Ukraine.
When asked whether Russia's terms for ending the war were acceptable, Trump said they were not.
When it was his turn, Biden called Putin "a war criminal," as he has repeatedly done before. "He's killed thousands and thousands of people," the 81-year-old said, warning that the Russian leader would not stop after taking Ukraine.
