Trump says Putin’s ‘genius’ peacekeepers could help with 10 million criminals from 127 countries ‘bum-rushing’ the US

Donald Trump says a few of the Russian peacekeeping tanks rolling into Ukraine would be welcomed on the southern border, where the former president claims 10 million illegal immigrants are “bum-rushing” the US.

“And he’s [Vladimir Putin] gonna go in and be a peacekeeper. That’s the strongest peace force … We could use that on our southern border,” Mr Trump said. “There were more army tanks than I’ve ever seen. They’re gonna keep peace all right.”

In a lengthy interview with The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show from Mar-a-Lago, the former president lamented the lack of a strong military presence on the border.

“Millions of people, not two million or one million, like they say. I say 10 million. Millions of people are bum-rushing our country,” Mr Trump said.

“And many of these people come from prisons. They’re being let out. Countries — 127 countries now they have. But many of these countries are emptying their prisons like we’re a dumping ground right into our country.”

Mr Trump added that he’d rather see Joe Biden redirect the US troops sent to eastern Europe in support Nato back to the US, where they could protect the southern border with Mexico from illegal immigration.

“In three weeks, you could finish it. They won’t even let Texas use our military, which is all bought, sitting there waiting to be put up. It could have been erected in less than three weeks,”’ he said with a pivot to the border wall.

“I’d rather see our southern border protected. But I don’t like the idea he’s sending a small number of troops [to Europe]. It’s a joke compared to what the other side does,” he said, in an apparent reference to the 150,000 Russian troops waiting on the doormat of Ukraine.

“You know, he [Biden] sends 3,000 troops I heard this morning, 3,000 troops. What’s that gonna do except get in trouble? No, I would like to see our southern border protected and they are handling Ukraine so badly.”

The protect the southern border, Mr Trump says the US could take a page out of Putin’s playbook. Putin this week recognised the independence of separatist-held regions in the disputed Donbas region of eastern Ukraine in what Nato fears is a prelude to a full-scale invasion of the country. Civilians have been evacuated from the region and the Russian president has ordered peacekeepers across the border.

“I said, ‘this is genius’, Putin declares a big portion of the Ukraine — of Ukraine. Putin declares it as independent. Oh, that’s wonderful. So, Putin is now saying, ‘It’s independent’, a large section of Ukraine,” Mr Trump said.

“I said, ‘How smart is that?’ And he’s gonna go in and be a peacekeeper. That’s the strongest peace force … We could use that on our southern border. That’s the strongest peace force I’ve ever seen.

“There were more army tanks than I’ve ever seen. They’re gonna keep peace all right. No, but think of it. Here’s a guy who’s very savvy… I know him very well. Very, very well.”