Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.AllNewsSportCultureLifestyleUS President Donald Trump used the world stage to thank Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin Wednesday, saying their approach to the Iran war made it “a lot better.”Speaking at a news conference during the G7 conference in France, Trump said, “I just want to thank them because they made it a lot better. I want to thank China, President Xi. I was with him, and he stayed neutral, totally neutral, and I appreciate it. And I want to thank Vladimir Putin, he was very neutral. They could have made it much more difficult for us."Trump's remarks contrasted sharply with his criticism of US allies, including Japan and European nations, whom he repeatedly chastised for not assisting in the military operation or subsequent efforts to clear the Strait of Hormuz.Moscow and Beijing both maintain close ties with Tehran, and Russia has said the war could lead to a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. Beijing, meanwhile, has condemned US attacks on Iran as a brazen violation of the country's sovereignty. U.S. intelligence officials suggested that Beijing supplied Tehran with goods with potential military uses, and China's independent oil refiners have been Iran's main customers during the conflict, defying U.S. sanctions."They could have sent in an oil ship with six destroyers alongside of it, on each side. They didn't do that. President Xi helped me. He tried to help, and I think he probably helped get it solved," Trump continued.In fullIran-US war latest: Details of Trump’s peace deal released after president says he prevented ‘economic catastrophe’Thank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in
Trump says Putin and Xi made Iran war ‘a lot better’ in gushing G7 speech
Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.AllNewsSportCultureLifestyleUS President Donald Trump used the world stage to thank Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin Wednesday, saying their approach to the Iran war made it “a lot better.”Speaking at a news conference during the G7 conference in France, Trump said, “I just want to thank them because they made it a lot better. I want to thank China, President Xi. I was with him, and he stayed neutral, totally neutral, and I appreciate it. And I want to thank Vladimir Putin, he was very neutral. They could have made it much more difficult for us."Trump's remarks contrasted sharply with his criticism of US allies, including Japan and European nations, whom he repeatedly chastised for not assisting in the military operation or subsequent efforts to clear the Strait of Hormuz.Moscow and Beijing both maintain close ties with Tehran, and Russia has said the war could lead to a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. Beijing, meanwhile, has condemned US attacks on Iran as a brazen violation of the country's sovereignty. U.S. intelligence officials suggested that Beijing supplied Tehran with goods with potential military uses, and China's independent oil refiners have been Iran's main customers during the conflict, defying U.S. sanctions."They could have sent in an oil ship with six destroyers alongside of it, on each side. They didn't do that. President Xi helped me. He tried to help, and I think he probably helped get it solved," Trump continued.In fullIran-US war latest: Details of Trump’s peace deal released after president says he prevented ‘economic catastrophe’Thank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in