Trump blames deaths in Ukraine war on 'rigged election' in the US: 'It's a shame all those people are dead'

• Former President Donald Trump has baselessly blamed a "rigged election" in the US for the war in Ukraine.
• "It's a shame all those people are dead," Trump said, referring to the conflict's casualties.

Former President Donald Trump has again touted baseless claims that the 2020 election was stolen, this time blaming the "rigged election" for the number of war dead in Ukraine.

"It's a shame all those people are dead, all because of a rigged election," said Trump during an interview with British TV host Piers Morgan that aired on Monday. "Because if our election wasn't rigged, you would've had nobody dead."

He told Morgan that he thought the conflict was a "stupid war" and a "horrible waste." "Far more people are dead than you think," Trump noted.

The former president agreed with Morgan's assessment that Russian President Vladimir Putin is an "evil, genocidal monster."

Trump also lamented that Ukraine was a "country that was working" despite having "lots of problems." "And people were happy. I guess a lot of them were happy because they're certainly fighting for it," he said.

Trump also insisted to Morgan that, during his time in office, he had warned Putin of the "strong response" that awaited should Russia invade Ukraine. However, he refused to comment if he told Putin that he would be ready to use the US's nuclear capabilities.

Asked by Morgan about what he would do in Ukraine if he were president, Trump said he would emphasize that the US has "better weapons" than Russia.

"I would say, 'We have far more than you do, far more powerful than you, and you can't use that word ever again. You cannot use the nuclear word ever again. And if you do, we're gonna have problems,'" he added.

Despite Trump's claims, there has been no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election. In March, he insisted that no one else could talk to Putin but him and suggested that the US send its nuclear submarines to ply the Russian coast to put pressure on Putin.

The former president has also been slammed by various parties — including veteran diplomats — for praising Putin and describing the Russian leader's reason for invading Ukraine as "savvy" and "genius."