(Washington = Yonhap News) Correspondent Lee Yu-mi = U.S. President Donald Trump said on the 3rd (local time) that he was"very surprised" that the United States was not mentioned in Chinese President Xi Jinping's Victory Day military parade speech.
During a Q&A session with the press during a summit with Polish President Karol Navalny at the White House on the same day, President Trump said,"I saw the speech last night. President Xi is a friend of mine. But the United States should have been mentioned in that speech because we have helped China very, very much."
President Trump also described the parade as a "beautiful event" and "very, very impressive." He previously hosted a large-scale military parade on June 14th to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Army, marking the second time in roughly three months that the U.S. and China have shown off their muscles.
"I know why they're doing it," Trump continued."They wanted me to see it, and I did."
Amid speculation that cooperation among North Korea, China, and Russia will be strengthened as Chairman Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and North Korean Chairman Kim Jong Un gather in one place on the occasion of this Victory Day event, President Trump said,"I have a very good relationship with all of them," and "We'll see how good it is in the next week or two."
In a post on the social media platform TruthSocial the previous day, President Trump wrote,"I seriously doubt President Xi will ever mention the enormous aid and 'blood' the United States has provided to China to help them regain their freedom from a very hostile foreign invader."
This is interpreted to mean that the Allied Powers, led by the United States, provided great help to China, which was at war with Japan, by defeating Japan during World War II.
In particular, the United States secretly sent military pilots as volunteers in 1941-1942 to check Japan and support the Republic of China.
In addition, President Trump, who has been urging an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine, said to President Putin, who continues to conduct airstrikes in Ukraine,"I have no message for Putin," adding,"He knows where I stand and he's going to make a decision one way or another."
"Whatever he (Putin) decides, we may or may not be satisfied with it," he continued."If we are not satisfied, you will see what happens."
President Trump said of his plans for future talks with President Putin,"I'll be talking to him in the next few days, and I'll know exactly what's going on."
Earlier, on the 18th of last month, President Putin spoke with President Trump and expressed his intention to hold a bilateral meeting with Ukraine within two weeks, but without any meeting taking place, Russia continues its airstrikes against Ukraine.
Meanwhile, President Trump said on TruthSocial that day,"Tell Hamas to release the 20 hostages immediately (not two, not five, not seven)," adding,"If they do that, things will change dramatically. It (the war) will be over."
Hamas, the Palestinian militant group at war with Israel in the Gaza Strip, had previously agreed to a ceasefire conditional on the release of some hostages, but Israel maintained its position that all detainees must be released at once, and ceasefire talks have reached a deadlock.
