Trump Acknowledges Russia's Concerns Over Ukraine's Possible Entry Into NATO

"So, you know, a big part of the problem was Russia for many, many years, long before Putin said you could never have NATO involved with Ukraine. Now they have said that that has been like written in stone, and somewhere along the line, [outgoing President Joe] Biden said, no, they should be able to join NATO. Well, then Russia has somebody right on their doorstep. But I can understand their feeling about that," Trump told a press conference in Mar-a-Lago, adding that "there were a lot of mistakes made in that negotiation."

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said that Ukraine's possible membership in NATO threatens Russia's security. In June 2024, Putin said that Ukraine's abandonment of its plans to join NATO was one of the conditions under which Moscow would be ready for a ceasefire and talks.

Speaking at the press conference, Trump made several key announcements and policy declarations. In particular, he promised to introduce very serious tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada in an effort to combat drug trafficking.

In late November, Trump announced that upon taking office, he would impose 25% tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico due to unresolved issues related to illegal immigration and drug trafficking in the US.

He also announced his intention to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.

Trump also noted that he plan to reclaim the Panama Canal to US ownership is currently under consideration.

"So the Panama Canal is under discussion with them right now," Trump told journalists.

Trump said on December 22 that he would demand the rapid return of the Panama Canal to American ownership due to high fees for passage through it. The politician emphasized that the Panama Canal was critically important for US trade, as well as for the rapid deployment of US naval forces in the Atlantic and the Pacific.