Putin says Trump impeachment based on 'made-up grounds' (2) Russian President Vladimir Putin says that the impeachment of Donald Trump was based on "made-up" grounds, adding he did not believe it marked the end of the US president. Speaking at his marathon end-of-year news conference, Putin described the events in the US legislature as "simply the continuation of a internal political fight" between Democrats and Republicans. He reproached the journalist who asked the question for "speaking about Trump as if he is finished". Trump was impeached Wednesday over a telephone conversation where he pressured Ukraine's president to investigate his potential White House challenger in 2020, the veteran Democrat Joe Biden. IMAGES