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U.S. President Donald Trump claims he can achieve an end to Russia’s war against Ukraine, arguing that Moscow would like to “do business” with the United States.
He made the remarks in an interview with CBS News.
When asked whether it was possible to end the war “within a couple of months,” Trump expressed confidence that it could happen: “I think we’ll get there, yes,” he said.
The president believes that the Kremlin’s desire for economic relations with the U.S. could motivate Russia toward peace.
“I think he (Putin) very much wants to do business with the United States — it worked with India, it worked with Pakistan, and it worked with 60% of these countries,” Trump noted.
He added that threats of tariffs had helped him settle conflicts in the past — though the interviewer pointed out that this approach hadn’t worked with Putin.
“I dealt with him differently, because, on the one hand, we don’t have much business with Russia, you know? He’s not the type who buys a lot from us — because of stupidity. But I think he would like to. I think he wants to come and trade with us, to make a lot of money for Russia, and I think that’s great. That’s what I like,” Trump said.
Trump also stated that there is no “final straw” that would convince him Putin is unwilling to end the war in Ukraine.
He further confirmed that he currently does not plan to transfer long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine.
In the same interview, President Trump said that the United States possesses the largest nuclear arsenal in the world — enough to destroy the planet 150 times.
He emphasized that the U.S. has more nuclear weapons than any other country, with Russia ranking second and China third — though China, he said, could catch up within five years.
“We have enough nuclear weapons to blow up the world 150 times. Russia has a lot, and China will have a lot. They have some already — quite a few — but…” he said.
Trump underscored the importance of talking with Russian and Chinese leaders about denuclearization and justified his intention to resume nuclear testing.
“You have to see how the elements work. The reason I talk about testing is that Russia announced it would conduct tests. If you noticed, North Korea tests all the time. Other countries test. We’re the only country that doesn’t, and I don’t want to be the only one not testing,” the president stated.
When the journalist noted that Russia had tested only delivery systems rather than nuclear weapons themselves, Trump insisted otherwise:
“Russia is testing, and China is testing — they just don’t talk about it. You know, we’re an open society. We’re different. We talk about it — otherwise, you people would report on it. They don’t have reporters who write about it. We do. No, we’re going to test, because they test and others test. And certainly North Korea tests. Pakistan tests,” Trump said.
As previously reported, Trump has instructed the Pentagon to immediately resume nuclear weapons testing.
His statement came amid Vladimir Putin’s boasts about testing the Burevestnik cruise missile equipped with a nuclear propulsion system.
Meanwhile, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance commented that Trump’s proposal to potentially resume nuclear testing is linked to the need to maintain the functionality of the nuclear arsenal.
Read also: Ukraine has strengthened the Patriot component of its air defense, – Zelenskyy
