End of the world: Trump warns of nuclear dangers, criticises Ukraine aid and talks tough on Russia

NEW DELHI: US President Donald Trump has sounded the alarm on nuclear dangers, warning that they pose a far greater existential threat to the world than climate change.

In a recent interview with Sunday Morning Futures anchor Maria Bartiromo, Trump emphasised the devastating consequences of nuclear weapons, stating, “The level of destruction is beyond anything you can even imagine. It’s just bad that everybody has to spend all this money on something that, if it’s used, it’s probably the end of the world.”

He criticised the focus on climate change, arguing that it overshadows the more pressing issue of nuclear dangers.

“When I listen to these climate lunatics… and nobody ever talks about nuclear weapons. They say the ocean’s going to rise one-eighth of an inch in the next 300 years. But they don’t talk about the dangers of a nuclear weapon, which could happen tomorrow,” he added.

Trump also addressed the Ukraine crisis, criticizing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for being ungrateful for US aid. He claimed that the US had provided Ukraine with USD 350 billion in aid, while European nations contributed only USD 100 billion.

“It was like taking candy from a baby, what he did… He took money out of this country under Biden, like candy from a baby. It was so easy, with that same attitude. Biden should have never put up USD 350 billion. He should have equalised with Europe,” Trump said.

Given their geographical proximity to Ukraine, Trump argued that Europe should have shouldered more of the financial burden.

“We have an ocean in between us, right? We’re not in the danger that they are. They are in much greater danger,” he said.

When asked if he expected Zelenskyy to return to the negotiating table for the rare earth minerals deal, Trump responded affirmatively. “Yeah, I think so. I think it’ll happen,” he said.

Bartiromo pressed him on whether Ukraine had the resources being claimed, to which he replied, “Well, I do. I do. I mean, I’ve had it checked.”

Regarding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Trump asserted that the war would not have happened if he had been in office. He also criticized President Joe Biden’s handling of the situation, arguing that his policies have emboldened Russia and led to the current crisis.

“Look, if I were President (at the time), that would have never happened. You wouldn’t have had Russia going into Ukraine,” said Trump.

He further argued that the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and the withdrawal from Afghanistan were also results of Biden’s policies.

“Iran was broke. They had no money. They weren’t giving it to Hamas or Hezbollah or anybody else. You would have never had the worst evacuation anyone’s ever seen, which is Afghanistan – which was the most embarrassing day in the history of our country.”

On the economic front, Trump criticised Biden’s policies, particularly their impact on inflation and energy prices. He argued that his own administration’s policies had achieved record-low inflation and energy prices.

“We had record-setting inflation under Biden. It was a killer. And it’s one of the reasons I won the election,” he claimed. While discussing tariffs, he dismissed concerns that they might drive inflation higher, instead pointing to recent reductions in interest rates. Interest rates are down for the last three or four days at good levels… What have I been trying to get down? Energy. Energy is going down. They screwed up my energy. I had the most energy, and they screwed it up,” he said.

When Bartiromo asked whether Ukraine and Israel were being treated similarly by the US, Trump acknowledged differences but maintained that both had received strong support.

“They’re very different places, OK? Very, very different,” he said, emphasising the unique challenges in the Middle East.

When asked about his stance on Russia, Trump resisted criticism that he had sided with Russia in the Ukraine conflict. He argued that he had been tougher on Russia than any other president, citing his sanctions and efforts to halt the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

“Nobody’s ever been… Putin would be the first to say it. Nobody’s been tougher than Trump,” he said, listing his sanctions on Russia and his efforts to halt the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. “I stopped it. Biden got in. On the second day, he approved it. Nobody has been tougher on Russia than Donald Trump. Nobody. And they know that,” Trump said.

“The biggest job they’ve ever done was the pipeline, Nord Stream 2. Nobody ever heard of it until I came along… And what did I do? I stopped it.” He contrasted his record with Biden’s, saying, “Biden hasn’t been tough. Biden’s done nothing. He was a weak, pathetic man.”

In a surprise revelation, Trump disclosed that he had sent a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, urging negotiations over their nuclear program. He emphasized that military intervention was a last resort and expressed his preference for a diplomatic solution.

“I hope you’re going to negotiate because it’s going to be a lot better for Iran,” he said, emphasising that military intervention was a last resort.

“There are two ways Iran can be handled, militarily or you make a deal. I would prefer to make a deal because I’m not looking to hurt Iran,” he stated.

He clarified that his stance was not about supporting the regime but rather about avoiding unnecessary conflict. “The people of Iran are great people. But they had a tough regime, and they… meet, and they’d be shot in the streets.”

Bartiromo brought up reports that Russia was willing to help the US negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran, to which Trump reiterated his opposition to allowing Iran nuclear weapons.

“Something’s going to happen one way or the other,” he warned. “If we have to go in militarily, it’s going to be a terrible thing for them.”

As the conversation returned to military spending, Bartiromo asked whether Trump planned to cut the defence budget. “I never said I was going to,” Trump replied, pushing back against reports that he planned to reduce spending on nuclear arms.

“I’d love to cut defence spending, but not now, because you have China, you have Russia, you have a lot of problems out there.”
Instead, he underscored the scale of global nuclear stockpiles and the potential consequences of their use.

“Our greatest existential threat is from the climate? I said no. The greatest is sitting in shelves in various countries called nuclear weapons that are big monsters that can blow your heads off for miles and miles and miles. And they never mentioned that.” (ANI)