U.S. President Donald Trump said he could envision “normal” trade relations with Russia if President Vladimir Putin shifted the country’s focus “toward business instead of toward war.” Speaking to reporters on Monday, Trump described Russia as “a warring nation,” citing its long military history and victories over leaders such as Adolf Hitler and Napoleon. He added that a friend had remarked that Russia “just keeps on fighting,” reinforcing Trump’s view of Moscow’s persistent militarism. Trump nevertheless underlined what he called Russia’s “very valuable piece of land,” arguing that economic cooperation could follow if the Kremlin prioritized commerce. He did not outline specific steps or a timeline for lifting existing U.S. trade restrictions on Moscow.
#WATCH | When asked if he sees a time when there could be normal trade between the US and Russia, US President Donald Trump says, "I do. Russia has a very valuable piece of land. If Vladimir Putin would go toward business instead of toward war, you know, it's a warring nation. https://t.co/4tyl9LQjZT
🤦🏻♂️ Trump on Russia: They are a warring nation. That's what they do. They fight a lot of wars. My friend said Russia is tough because they just keep fighting. They beat Hitler, and they beat Napoleon. https://t.co/NRc6yvTQ67
Trump: "Russia has a very valuable piece of land...It's a warring nation. That's what they do, they fight a lot of wars. A friend of mine said Russia's tough because they just keep on fighting. They beat Hitler, so did we, and they beat Napoleon. They've been doing this for a https://t.co/kkFKHTP2R6