Trump outlines why US must improve relations with Russia
Getting along with a nation that has the world’s largest nuclear weapons stockpile is a good thing, former US President Donald Trump has said, as he reiterated his claims that he could defuse the Ukraine conflict in a matter of hours.
“The fake news hates when I say I know [Russian President Vladimir Putin] well. They hate when I say I got along with him. You know, it’s good to get along,” he told supporters at a campaign rally in Erie, Pennsylvania on Saturday.
“They have more nuclear weapons than us, or just about the same, but a little more than us,” he said, adding that “nobody ever talks about that” when discussing the Ukraine conflict.
The US is in a “very stupid, dangerous position right now,” Trump said.
The former US leader is campaigning for the Republican nomination for the 2024 presidential election, even as his legal troubles pile up. Last week, special counsel Jack Smith announced new charges against him, which are related to alleged mishandling of classified materials after leaving office. Trump claims to be a victim of a “witch hunt” by the Democratic Party and “the deep state.”
The embattled TV show host-turned-politician reiterated his claims that if he were serving a second term, the conflict in Ukraine would not have happened, because, as he put it, “Russia respercted us, Putin respected me.” If re-elected, he could stop the hostilities in 24 hours, he also claimed.
He told supporters that at one point, he intimidated the Russian leader with “things that you don’t want to know.”
“I said: ‘it’s gonna really be bad’… He said: ‘You wouldn’t do it,’ and I said: ‘Yes, I will,’” Trump said. “And he didn’t believe me, but you know, he believed me 10%. But that’s all he needed.”
Trump claimed that he used the same kind of tactics with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
