Trump says he's not 'pro-Russia,' but getting along is 'not a bad thing'

During an interview with Fox News' Tucker Carlson that aired Tuesday night, President Trump said he's been thinking about the different ways Russia assisted the United States in the past.

During World War II, "Russia lost 50 million people and helped us win the war," he said. "I was just saying to myself the other day, you know, Russia really helped us. I'm not pro-Russia, pro-anybody, I just want to have this country be safe." He doesn't "want nuclear weapons, even people thinking about it," he added. "Russia and the United States control 90 percent of the nuclear weapons in the world, and getting along with Russia, and not only for that reason, is a good thing, not a bad thing."

Carlson asked Trump if Russia is "our chief adversary," and Trump said they have a "strong military" but their economy is "much smaller than China. I don't even want to use the term 'adversary.' We can all work together, we can do great, everybody can do well, and we can live in peace." Watch more of the interview in the video below. Catherine Garcia

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.