Donald Trump’s latest attempt to pivot his campaign towards policy-oriented attacks on Vice President Kamala Harris saw him fall back into a familiar pattern of offering concessions to Vladimir Putin and Russia as he attempted to paint Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as pushing America towards a third world war.

The ex-president, who was speaking to members of the National Guard Association of the US in in Detroit, appeared to take a stance against the recent Ukrainian incursion into Russian territory near Kursk, writes The Independent.

The gaining of ground by Ukrainian troops, which analysts have said is meant to relieve pressure for Ukrainian troops elsewhere in the theater of war, Trump argued was actually another sign that “World War 3” was closer than ever: “Look at what’s happening in Ukraine. They’re surging into Russia. You’re going to have World War 3”.

Trump made his remarks just hours after he attended a memorial service at Arlington National Cemetery for 13 US service members killed in a suicide bombing during the chaotic pullout of US troops from Afghanistan in 2021.