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Trump defends relationships with Kim Jong Un, Vladimir Putin during fiery '60 Minutes' interview
President Donald Trump talked about his relationships with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russia's Vladimir Putin during an interview on "60 Minutes" that aired Sunday night. (Olivier Douliery/Pool/Getty Images)

Trump defends relationships with Kim Jong Un, Vladimir Putin during fiery '60 Minutes' interview

President Donald Trump stood firm during a sometimes testy interview with CBS' Lesley Stahl, and defended his policies along with his relationships with North Korea's Kim Jong Un and Russia's Vladimir Putin during an interview with CBS' "60 Minutes" that aired Sunday night.

The nearly 30-minute interview was recorded on Thursday.

What did Trump say about Kim?

Trump told Stahl that when he took office, the U.S. was facing the threat of going to war with North Korea.

"The day before I came in, we were goin' to war with North Korea. I sat with President Obama," Trump said. "[A]nd we were gonna, I think it was going to end up in war.

"We were going to war with North Korea. Now, you don't hear that. You don't hear any talk of it. And he doesn't wanna go to war, and we don't wanna go to war, and he understands denuclearization and he's agreed to it. And you see that he's agreed to it. No missiles," he added.

Trump said he trusts Kim, but added that it didn't mean he could be proven wrong.

"Well, first of all, if I didn't trust him, I wouldn't say that to you," Trump told Stahl when asked why he trusts the North Korean leader. "Wouldn't I be foolish to tell you right here, on '60 Minutes'?"

The president admitted that there's no proof that North Korea has stopped building missiles, as it has promised, but the Korean Peninsula is safer now that he has a relationship with the communist leader.

"In the meantime, they haven't tested a missile. They haven't tested a rocket. They definitely haven't done a nuclear test because you know about them real fast. It sort of moves the earth," he said. "And we have a relationship now."

Kim has asked for the U.S. to ease sanctions on his country, but the Trump administration has refused.

"No, I'm not doing it," Trump told Stahl. "This isn't the Obama administration. I haven't eased the sanctions.

"We have a good relationship. It's very important."

At a recent rally, Trump told supporters that he loves Kim. Stahl questioned him about the statements.

"I get along with him okay," Trump explained to Stahl when asked why he loves Kim. "That's just a figure of speech.

"Look. Let it be whatever it is. I get along with him really well. I have a good energy with him. I have a good chemistry with him. Look at the horrible threats that were made," he added. "No more threats. No more threats."

What did he say about Putin?

The president pushed back when Stahl asked him why he never has harsh words to say about Russian president Putin.

"I think I'm very tough with him personally," he told Stahl. "I had a meeting with him. The two of us. It was a very tough meeting and it was a very good meeting."

He went on to say that he has helped Ukraine fight back against the Russian invasion.

"I'm the one that gave Ukraine offensive weapons and tank killers. Obama didn't. You know what he sent? He sent pillows and blankets. I'm the one — and he's the one that gave away a part of Ukraine where Russia now has this," Trump continued before being cut off by Stahl.

And Trump said he believes Putin was likely involved in recent assassinations and poisonings.

"But I rely on them. It's not in our country," he said.

"Of course, they shouldn't do it," Trump added, when Stahl pointed out Russia's actions were a terrible thing.

What else?

Trump said he knows Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential election, adding that he believes China also meddled.

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