President Trump Accuses Russia, China of Challenging Interests in State of the Union Address
(Baonghean.vn) - On January 31, in his first State of the Union address as US President, Donald Trump said that "rogue" governments, terrorist groups and rivals including China and Russia challenge US interests, economy and values.
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| US President Donald Trump's first State of the Union address was longer than his predecessor Obama's. Photo: AP |
The US president warned that the North Korean regime is very close to developing long-range nuclear-tipped missiles that could threaten US cities.
The US leader stressed that the US would not repeat “the mistakes of previous administrations that got us into a very dangerous position” with Pyongyang. President Trump’s tough speech highlighted the continuing tensions despite recent dialogue between North Korea and South Korea.
The US leader said “rogue” regimes, terrorist groups and rivals including China and Russia “challenge our interests, our economy and our values”.
Referring to Iran, Mr. Trump declared that he would always stand by the “courageous fight” of the Iranian people. The US President affirmed: “When the Iranian people rose up against the crimes of their corrupt dictatorship, I did not stay silent. The United States stands with the Iranian people in their courageous fight for freedom. I am asking Congress to fix the fundamental flaws in the Iran nuclear deal.”
Also in his first State of the Union address as US President, Mr. Donald Trump emphasized: "We must modernize and rebuild our nuclear arsenal, but hopefully we will never have to use it. However, we must make this arsenal strong and powerful to deter any act of aggression."
Besides, he hopes that "someday in the future there will be a magical moment when the countries of the world come together to eliminate nuclear weapons. Unfortunately, we are not at that moment yet."
On the issue of counterterrorism, Mr. Trump said: "Last year 2017, I pledged to work with our allies to eradicate the terrorist organization Islamic State (IS) from the face of the Earth. One year later, I am proud to report that the coalition to defeat ISIS has liberated nearly 100% of the territory these killers once held in Iraq, Syria, and other places."
In addition, President Trump also announced that he will continue to maintain the operation of the prison at Guantanamo, breaking the eight-year efforts of his predecessor Barack Obama to close this detention facility.
He said he had ordered Defense Secretary James Mattis to review the prisoner detention policy and to continue to maintain the detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay. He explained the decision as a counter-terrorism tool./.
