- Press conference with Trump on 7 January
- Military or economic measures could be used to control the Greenland and Panama Canal
- Hostages in Gaza and the Middle East problem: a possible "real hell" scenario
- D. Trump defended his friend E. Musk, who is currently under fierce criticism from liberal forces
Press conference with Trump on 7 January
US President-elect Donald Trump, who will become the rightful owner of the White House in two weeks, held a major press conference at his residence in Florida on 7 January. He talked about the timing of the end of hostilities in Ukraine, did not rule out a forced takeover of control of Greenland and the Panama Canal, and predicted "real hell" in the Middle East[1].
D. Trump, who had previously promised to end hostilities in Ukraine before his inauguration, expressed the hope that the conflict could end in six months or less. At the same time, he did not rule out the possibility that the situation could escalate and become "much more serious".
"I hope I will have six months. No, I hope long before the hostilities end", Reuters quoted him as saying.
D. Trump added that he could not meet Russian President Vladimir Putin before he took office on 20 January because it would be "inappropriate" and said that he was "infuriated" by the situation because "many young people are dying every day in the conflict zone."
D. Trump noted that he understood the position of the Russian government, which opposes Ukraine's membership of NATO. He also blamed the actions of the outgoing administration of US President Joe Biden on this issue.
"A big part of the problem is that Russia has been stressing for many, many years - long before Putin - that NATO should stay out of Ukraine. It was like it was set in stone. And at some point in time, Biden said: no, they should be able to join NATO. Well, that means that Russia has a problem on its doorstep, and I can understand their feelings about that," said the American leader-elect.
Military or economic measures could be used to control the Greenland and Panama Canal
D. Trump has refused to rule out the use of military or economic means to assert US control over Greenland and the Panama Canal.
"No, I can't guarantee you either of those two points, but I can tell you one thing: we need these territories for economic security", the politician said in response to reporters' questions.
Since his election, Trump has repeatedly raised the issue of the "return" of the Panama Canal and the annexation of Greenland to the United States, but this is the first time he has authorized military force to achieve these goals, CNN notes.
D. Trump also referred to the situation in Mexico, saying that the country is in "deep trouble" and is "basically run by cartels". According to the President-elect, the Gulf of Mexico will be renamed the Gulf of America.
"What a beautiful name! And it is appropriate. Mexico must stop allowing millions of people to come to our country", Trump continued.
Commenting on his own proposal to make Canada one of the US states[2], he said it would be "much better for national security". He called the border between the two countries "an artificial line".
"Don't forget: we are really defending Canada. We have so many friends there, I love the Canadian people. They are wonderful, but we spend hundreds of billions of dollars a year to protect them", said the American President-elect.
Hostages in Gaza and the Middle East problem: a possible "real hell" scenario
D. Trump has threatened that there will be "real hell" in the Middle East if Hamas militants do not return the hostages taken after the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel before he takes office.
"Hell will come to the Middle East, and it won't be good for Hamas, and frankly, it won't be good for anybody," Trump warned.
D. Trump defended his friend E. Musk, who is currently under fierce criticism from liberal forces
The US President came to the defense of Elon Musk, the founder of Space X, who has been criticized for his support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and for calling for the resignation and prosecution of the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Trump assured Musk that he was "doing well" and called him "a brilliant man".
"He likes people who tend to be conservative. I know he has said negative things about a few people who are running for high office, but that is not unusual", Trump concluded.
