Russia and Putin · 2016 campaign · № 27
Floated lifting Crimea sanctions in return for a nuclear arms deal, days before taking office
“They have sanctions on Russia — let's see if we can make some good deals with Russia. For one thing, I think nuclear weapons should be way down and reduced very substantially, that's part of it. But Russia's hurting very badly right now because of sanctions, but I think something can happen that a lot of people are gonna benefit.”
- Said
- , Interview with The Times of London and Bild at Trump Tower (published January 15, 2017)
- Subject
- Sanctions-for-arms offer
- Type
- Sanctions and pressure
- Topic
- Ukraine & Russia
- Era
- 2016 campaign
What happened
The interview, conducted by Michael Gove for The Times and Kai Diekmann for Bild, was published two days later; Reuters reported that Trump would propose ending sanctions imposed over Russia's annexation of Crimea in return for a nuclear arms reduction deal. In the same interview he again called NATO 'obsolete', which Germany's foreign minister said had caused 'worry and concern' in the alliance; Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was too early to respond to the sanctions suggestion. The same day Trump told The Wall Street Journal he would keep the sanctions imposed in December 'at least for a period of time' but asked: 'If you get along and if Russia is really helping us, why would anybody have sanctions if somebody's doing some really great things?' Asked by Bild whom he trusted more, Angela Merkel or Putin, he said: 'I start off trusting both, but let see how long that lasts.' On August 2, 2017 he signed the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, which enacted new sanctions on Russia, calling the bill 'seriously flawed'.
Sources
- Trump's offer to Putin: an end to sanctions for nuclear arms cut - London Times
- Trump worries Nato with 'obsolete' comment
- Donald Trump says Merkel made 'catastrophic mistake' on migrants
- Trump suggests he may do away with Russia sanctions if Moscow helpful: WSJ
- Trump hints at European immigration restrictions
- Statement on Signing the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act