Brexit is going to be a great thing, says Trump
US President-elect Donald Trump has said Britain's exit from the European Union "is going to end up being a great thing". ?You look at the European Union and it?s Germany. Basically a vehicle for Germany. That?s why I thought the UK was so smart in getting out,? he stated. Trump further said he expects other countries to leave as well.
In an interview with British publication, The Times of London, US President-elect Donald Trump spoke on a wide range of issues, including Brexit, Russia, the NATO and the refugee crisis. This was the first time the Republican Trump, who is set to be sworn in as the 45th president of the United States of America on January 20, spoke to a UK publication since his election victory of the Democratic Hillary Clinton.  TOP TAKES FROM TRUMP'S THE TIMES INTERVIEWOn Brexit: Terming Britain's exit from the European Union as something that "is going to end up being a great thing", the US president-elect predicted that more countries would follow the UK's lead in leaving the 28-nation bloc. The arrival of migrants into Europe was one of the factors behind Brexit, Trump told The Times, calling the refugee influx the "final straw that broke the camel's back". Trump said that he would work hard to get a trade deal with the UK "done quickly and done properly." The deal would be "good for both sides", he added, also confirming that he will meet with British Prime Minister Theresa May soon after he takes office. Also read: Donald Trump on Brexit: Britons took back control of their countryOn Europe's refugee crisis: Trump predicted that continuing inflow of migrants into Europe could lead to the EU breaking up. "I think this, if refugees keep pouring into different parts of Europe... I think it's gonna be very hard to keep it (the EU) together because people are angry about it," the Republican leader said. He further said that German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whom he termed a "fantastic leader", made a "catastrophic mistake" in letting migrants flood into Germany.On Russia: Trump signaled that he could offer relaxing sanctions imposed against Moscow if the latter agrees to a deal to reduce the stockpile of nuclear weapons. He went on to criticise Russia's involvement in the Syrian civil war, calling Kremlin's intervention "a very bad thing" that had led to a "terrible humanitarian situation".Also read: Donald Trump's first press meet after win: If Putin likes me, that's an assetOn nuclear arms: Speaking in the context of sanctions against Russia and making deals with Moscow, Trump said, "For one thing, I think nuclear weapons should be way down and reduced very substantially."On NATO: Complaining that the coalition had "not bothered about terrorism," Trump called the NATO alliance an "obsolete organisation" and, at the same time, said it remains "very important" to him. Trump also reiterated his often-repeated complaint that some NATO members weren't paying enough. "We're supposed to protect countries. But a lot of these countries aren't paying what they're supposed to be paying, which I think is very unfair to the United States," the US president-elect said, adding, "There's five countries that are paying what they're supposed to. Five. It's not much."