President-elect Donald Trump suggested Friday he is open to lifting sanctions on Russia, though he plans to keep them for “at least a period of time.”
He told the Wall Street Journal in an interview published Friday evening that he might do away with them if Russia helps the US battle terrorists or with other goals important to the US. The sanctions were implemented by the Obama administration last month in response to alleged Russian hacking during the election.
“If you get along and if Russia is really helping us, why would anybody have sanctions if somebody’s doing some really great things?” he said in the interview.
Trump’s remarks to the Wall Street Journal come after CNN reported classified documents presented to President Barack Obama and Trump included allegations that Russian operatives claim to have compromising personal and financial information about Trump. He has vehemently denied the allegations.
Speaking to the Journal, Trump said he’s prepared to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin after he takes office.
“I understand that they would like to meet, and that’s absolutely fine with me,” he said.
When asked about China — specifically if he supported the US “One China” policy on Taiwan, which says the province is part of China — Trump responded, “Everything is under negotiation, including One China.”
In early December, Trump took a call from Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen, the first publicly reported call between a US President or President-elect and the leader of Taiwan since Washington established diplomatic relations with Beijing in 1979.
Trump said during the election that when he took office, he would label China as a currency manipulator. However, he didn’t go that far in his interview with the Journal.
“I would talk to them first,” he said, later adding: “Certainly, they are manipulators. But I’m not looking to do that.”
