US Prez Trump praises Putin and Xi, calls them intelligent and strong leaders

Washington, Nov 3 (IANS) American President Donald Trump lauded Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, when asked which of the two global leaders was tougher to deal with, describing both as strong and intelligent men who shouldn't be underestimated.

During an interview with American media outlet CBS, President Trump was asked, "Who's tougher to deal with, Vladimir Putin or Xi Jinping?", to which he replied, both leaders are “tough and smart”.

“Look, they're both very strong leaders. These are people not to be toyed with. These are people you have to take very seriously. They're not-- they're not walking in saying, 'Oh, isn't it a beautiful day? Look how beautiful. The sun is shining, it's so nice.' These are serious people. These are people that are tough, smart leaders,” NDTV quoted President Trump as saying during the interview with CBS' 60 Minutes

President Trump also reiterated his claim of having resolved eight wars, saying the only conflict he was unable to stop was the one in Ukraine, while stressing "that'll happen".

"Before the ninth month, I stopped eight wars. The only one I haven't been successful yet in, and - and that'll happen - is Russia Ukraine, which I thought actually would be the easiest one because I have a very good relationship with President Putin," the US President stated.

"We are respected again as a country, and that's the way I've been able to stop the wars. I also stopped them because of trade,” he added

President Trump claimed he had discussed the issue of denuclearisation with leaders of both Russia and China, acknowledging that both nations possess large stockpiles of nuclear weapons.

“I believe we need to do something about denuclearisation, and I have indeed discussed it with both President Putin and President Xi,” he stressed.

President Trump confirmed his plan to conduct nuclear tests, saying, "We need to see how it works. The reason I talk about tests is that Russia has announced its intention to test, North Korea tests constantly, and so do other countries. We are the only country that does not test."

When pointed out that Moscow was testing delivery systems rather than nuclear weapons, President Trump claimed both Russia and China were carrying out such tests, "but they are not talking about it."

--IANS

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