President Donald Trump defended his willingness to warm relations with Russia on Thursday by suggesting that the alternative might be nuclear holocaust.
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TRUMP: It's in our interest to get along with Russia because 'nuclear holocaust would be like no other'
President Donald Trump defended his willingness to warm relations with Russia by suggesting that the alternative might be nuclear holocaust.
U.S. President Donald Trump holds a news conference at the White House in Washington, U.S., February 16, 2017.
During an hour-long press conference on Thursday, Trump discussed recent provocations from Russia and explained why he thinks it's in America's best interests to "get along" with the country.
"We're a very powerful nuclear country and so are they," Trump said. "There's no upside. ... We're very a very powerful nuclear country. And so are they. I've been briefed. And I can tell you one thing about a briefing that we're allowed to say, because anybody that ever read the most basic book can say it, nuclear holocaust would be like no other."
He continued: "If we have a good relationship with Russia, believe me, that's a good thing. Not a bad thing."
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Prominent US senators and defense analysts have been calling for the US to respond to Russia's recent deployment of nuclear cruise missiles by deploying missiles of its own to Europe.
Russia's cruise missile deployment violated a major US-Russia treaty, the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), because they have a range of 620 to 3,420 miles and fire from ground-based launchers, enabling Russia to hit European capitals from its homeland.
Alex Lockie contributed to this report.
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