Bristol Palin's Ex Dakota Meyer Speaks Out: 'This Relationship Was Done Way Before 'Teen Mom OG' '

The military veteran tells PEOPLE that joining the MTV series had nothing to do with the couple's divorce, which they finalized this summer

Dakota Meyer is opening up about his split from Teen Mom OG‘s Bristol Palin.

The military veteran tells PEOPLE that joining the MTV series had nothing to do with the couple’s divorce, which they finalized this summer.

“This relationship was done way before Teen Mom OG,” Meyer says, before joking he knew it was over “the day after we got married.”

“Our relationship has had struggles from day one, I think we tried our best,” he says. “I can definitely say that I tried in this relationship.”

Meyer, 30, and Palin, 27, called off their first planned wedding – which was supposed to be a big, splashy affair in Kentucky — in May 2015. They later reunited and quietly tied the knot in June 2016. Less than two years later, though, they split for good.

Meyer made his MTV debut on Monday night’s episode, in which the then-couple got into a heated argument about his anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. (The former U.S. Marine was the only surviving member of his platoon during the war in Afghanistan.)

“I’ll take the responsibility for that,” Meyer says of the fight. “I think Bristol did the best that she could do. I think that’s what we all see in that episode. All I wanted was empathy.”

“This is a normal reaction to abnormal circumstances,” he says of PTSD. “[People who have it] deserve the utmost respect, understanding, and empathy about what they go through.”

The veteran shares two daughters with Palin: Sailor Grace, 2, and Atlee Bay, 1. Palin also has 9-year-old son Tripp Easton from a previous relationship.

Meyer previously said the two haven’t spoken following their split, and he tells PEOPLE they’ve managed to co-parent without much contact.

“I understand how important it is for both parents to be in a child’s life,” he says. “To co-parent with her is important to me. We communicate when necessary. I would say I’m happy with our relationship. I think that it’s right where it needs to be.”

Meyer is also focusing on his company Flipside Canvas, which showcases patriotic art that is “all American-made,” as he proudly says.

“My entire goal in life is to try and change the world,” he adds. “To make it worthy of the sacrifice of my teammates made.”

Teen Mom OG airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on MTV.