Fatal NATO pledge, trusting Putin & dismantling BRICS: Essential points from Trump’s briefing
US President Donald Trump addressed reporters on Thursday, providing additional insights and reflections regarding a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
The US president recently elaborated on a phone call with his Russian counterpart.
On Thursday evening, US President Donald Trump addressed reporters in the Oval Office, a day after his anticipated conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The discussion, according to Trump, covered various topics, including the Russia-Ukraine conflict, NATO's involvement, economic measures like tariffs, and the geopolitical landscape of BRICS and the G8.
Here are the main points from the briefing:
**Biden’s Promise and the Ukraine Conflict**
Trump attributed the ongoing conflict in Ukraine to his predecessor, Joe Biden, asserting that the war would not have occurred if he had remained in office. He pointed to Biden’s comments about Ukraine’s potential NATO membership as a significant provocation that led to the war.
“I don’t see any way that a country in Russia’s position could allow them, just in their position, could allow them to join NATO. I don’t see that happening,” the US president stated on Thursday. He further claimed, “And long before President [Vladimir] Putin, Russia was very strong on the fact. I believe that’s the reason the war started, because Biden went out and said that they could join NATO, and he shouldn’t have said that.”
Trump suggested that Biden's NATO membership promise created a security dilemma for Russia, triggering the conflict. He characterized Biden's statements as “reckless” and “ill-conceived,” indicating that such commitments should have required broader international agreement.
**No NATO for Ukraine**
Continuing his stance, Trump supported his defense secretary Pete Hegseth’s comments about Ukraine's NATO membership. He remarked that the remarks were “pretty accurate” despite some backlash. He dismissed calls for Hegseth to retract his statements.
“Somebody told me to, but I thought his comments were good yesterday. They’re probably good today. They’re a little bit softer, perhaps. But I thought his comments from yesterday were pretty accurate,” he noted. Hegseth had previously asserted that Ukraine’s goal of reclaiming all lost territories was unrealistic, urging preparation for a negotiated peace, and that NATO membership would not be part of any settlement.
**Russia and US High-Level Meeting**
During the press conference, Trump announced that US and Russian officials were preparing for a high-level meeting in Munich. “They’re having a meeting in Munich, tomorrow. Russia is going to be there with our people. Ukraine is also invited, by the way. Not sure exactly who’s going to be there from any country, but high-level people from Russia, from Ukraine, and from the United States,” he revealed.
The president reiterated his willingness to meet with Putin face-to-face, potentially in Saudi Arabia, although he mentioned it was “a little early” to make definitive arrangements.
**Trump ‘Trusts’ Putin**
Trump expressed confidence in Putin’s desire for peace: “I believe that President Putin, when I spoke to him yesterday… I think he wants peace. I think he would tell me if he didn’t.” He downplayed skepticism from journalists, reiterating his trust in Putin regarding this matter and criticized the Biden administration for not acting sooner to avoid escalating tensions.
“I trust him on this subject. I think he’d like to see something happen,” Trump emphasized, adding that “this should have been done by Biden years ago” and that the conflict “should never have been allowed to happen” in the first place.
**BRICS is ‘Dead’**
The press conference also covered Trump’s new tariff strategy, aimed at ensuring fairness by imposing reciprocal tariffs on nations with high tariffs on US goods. He highlighted India as a notably protectionist economy, ahead of his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and criticized the BRICS nations for trading outside the US dollar system.
“BRICS was put there for a bad purpose,” Trump warned, asserting that their ambitions posed a risk to the dollar's dominance. “They’re afraid to talk about it because I told them – if they want to play games with the dollar, then they’re going to be hit with a 100% tariff… BRICS is dead since I mentioned that. BRICS died the minute I mentioned that,” he declared.
**Inviting Moscow Back to G8**
Trump stated his desire to see Russia reinstated into what was formerly the G8. He asserted that Putin would likely welcome the opportunity, even though Russia itself has shown little interest in returning after its suspension in 2014. “I think it was a mistake to throw them out. Look, it’s not a question of liking Russia or not liking Russia – it was the G8. And you know, I said, what are you doing? All you talk about is Russia, and they should be sitting at the table,” he remarked.
Trump suggested that the exclusion of Russia may have been a strategic error that could have factored into the Ukraine conflict. “It’s very possible that if that was the G8, you wouldn’t have had the problem with Ukraine,” he said.
**Nuclear De-escalation**
Lastly, Trump expressed his vision for reducing global nuclear arsenals through direct negotiations with both Russia and China. He indicated plans to discuss military spending and arms control once the geopolitical climate stabilizes.
“At some point, when things settle down, I’m going to meet with China and I’m going to meet with Russia, in particular those two, and I’m going to say there’s no reason for us to be spending almost a trillion dollars on military,” he stated.
He criticized the ongoing arms buildup despite already possessing sufficient nuclear capabilities to cause global destruction. “There’s no reason for us to be building brand new nuclear weapons. We already have so many you could destroy the world 50 times over, 100 times over,” Trump said, expressing optimism that both Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping would be receptive to such discussions.
Aarav Patel for TROIB News
On Thursday evening, US President Donald Trump addressed reporters in the Oval Office, a day after his anticipated conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The discussion, according to Trump, covered various topics, including the Russia-Ukraine conflict, NATO's involvement, economic measures like tariffs, and the geopolitical landscape of BRICS and the G8.
Here are the main points from the briefing:
**Biden’s Promise and the Ukraine Conflict**
Trump attributed the ongoing conflict in Ukraine to his predecessor, Joe Biden, asserting that the war would not have occurred if he had remained in office. He pointed to Biden’s comments about Ukraine’s potential NATO membership as a significant provocation that led to the war.
“I don’t see any way that a country in Russia’s position could allow them, just in their position, could allow them to join NATO. I don’t see that happening,” the US president stated on Thursday. He further claimed, “And long before President [Vladimir] Putin, Russia was very strong on the fact. I believe that’s the reason the war started, because Biden went out and said that they could join NATO, and he shouldn’t have said that.”
Trump suggested that Biden's NATO membership promise created a security dilemma for Russia, triggering the conflict. He characterized Biden's statements as “reckless” and “ill-conceived,” indicating that such commitments should have required broader international agreement.
**No NATO for Ukraine**
Continuing his stance, Trump supported his defense secretary Pete Hegseth’s comments about Ukraine's NATO membership. He remarked that the remarks were “pretty accurate” despite some backlash. He dismissed calls for Hegseth to retract his statements.
“Somebody told me to, but I thought his comments were good yesterday. They’re probably good today. They’re a little bit softer, perhaps. But I thought his comments from yesterday were pretty accurate,” he noted. Hegseth had previously asserted that Ukraine’s goal of reclaiming all lost territories was unrealistic, urging preparation for a negotiated peace, and that NATO membership would not be part of any settlement.
**Russia and US High-Level Meeting**
During the press conference, Trump announced that US and Russian officials were preparing for a high-level meeting in Munich. “They’re having a meeting in Munich, tomorrow. Russia is going to be there with our people. Ukraine is also invited, by the way. Not sure exactly who’s going to be there from any country, but high-level people from Russia, from Ukraine, and from the United States,” he revealed.
The president reiterated his willingness to meet with Putin face-to-face, potentially in Saudi Arabia, although he mentioned it was “a little early” to make definitive arrangements.
**Trump ‘Trusts’ Putin**
Trump expressed confidence in Putin’s desire for peace: “I believe that President Putin, when I spoke to him yesterday… I think he wants peace. I think he would tell me if he didn’t.” He downplayed skepticism from journalists, reiterating his trust in Putin regarding this matter and criticized the Biden administration for not acting sooner to avoid escalating tensions.
“I trust him on this subject. I think he’d like to see something happen,” Trump emphasized, adding that “this should have been done by Biden years ago” and that the conflict “should never have been allowed to happen” in the first place.
**BRICS is ‘Dead’**
The press conference also covered Trump’s new tariff strategy, aimed at ensuring fairness by imposing reciprocal tariffs on nations with high tariffs on US goods. He highlighted India as a notably protectionist economy, ahead of his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and criticized the BRICS nations for trading outside the US dollar system.
“BRICS was put there for a bad purpose,” Trump warned, asserting that their ambitions posed a risk to the dollar's dominance. “They’re afraid to talk about it because I told them – if they want to play games with the dollar, then they’re going to be hit with a 100% tariff… BRICS is dead since I mentioned that. BRICS died the minute I mentioned that,” he declared.
**Inviting Moscow Back to G8**
Trump stated his desire to see Russia reinstated into what was formerly the G8. He asserted that Putin would likely welcome the opportunity, even though Russia itself has shown little interest in returning after its suspension in 2014. “I think it was a mistake to throw them out. Look, it’s not a question of liking Russia or not liking Russia – it was the G8. And you know, I said, what are you doing? All you talk about is Russia, and they should be sitting at the table,” he remarked.
Trump suggested that the exclusion of Russia may have been a strategic error that could have factored into the Ukraine conflict. “It’s very possible that if that was the G8, you wouldn’t have had the problem with Ukraine,” he said.
**Nuclear De-escalation**
Lastly, Trump expressed his vision for reducing global nuclear arsenals through direct negotiations with both Russia and China. He indicated plans to discuss military spending and arms control once the geopolitical climate stabilizes.
“At some point, when things settle down, I’m going to meet with China and I’m going to meet with Russia, in particular those two, and I’m going to say there’s no reason for us to be spending almost a trillion dollars on military,” he stated.
He criticized the ongoing arms buildup despite already possessing sufficient nuclear capabilities to cause global destruction. “There’s no reason for us to be building brand new nuclear weapons. We already have so many you could destroy the world 50 times over, 100 times over,” Trump said, expressing optimism that both Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping would be receptive to such discussions.
Aarav Patel for TROIB News
