(MENAFN) US President Donald Trump praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping as formidable leaders, describing them as “tough,” “smart,” and “not to be toyed with,” during an interview on Sunday.

When asked who is tougher to deal with, Xi or Putin, Trump responded: “Both. Both tough.

Both smart. Both – look, they’re both very strong leaders. These are people not to be toyed with.

These are people you have to take very seriously.” He emphasized that neither engages in idle conversation: “They’re not – they’re not walking in saying, ‘Oh, isn’t it a beautiful day? Look how beautiful. The Sun is shining, it’s so nice.’ These are serious people. These are people that are tough, smart leaders.”

Trump also highlighted both nations’ substantial nuclear arsenals and noted that he has discussed denuclearization with them. On US-China relations, he claimed he “gets along great” with Xi and expressed satisfaction with a trade deal reached after months of tension, adding: “We got no rare-earth threat… We have tremendous amounts of dollars pouring in, because we have very big tariffs, almost 50%.”

Regarding Russia, Trump reiterated his “very good relationship” with Putin, blaming President Joe Biden for the Ukraine conflict. “That was a war that would’ve never happened if I was president,” he said, claiming that Putin acknowledged this. Trump further asserted that he has resolved eight wars since returning to the White House, mostly through trade leverage, and said he could broker a ceasefire in Ukraine “in a couple of months,” adding: “We’re gonna get it done… [Putin] wants to come in and he wants to trade with us, and he wants to make a lot of money for Russia, and I think that’s great.”

MENAFN03112025000045017640ID1110286500