U.S. President Donald Trump answered reporters' questions on current issues after a presidential decree signing ceremony held in the Oval Office.
Trump spoke about the debate over whether Russia would attack NATO territory. Saying he did not think Russia would take such a step, Trump said he had held productive talks with Vladimir Putin and that Russia would not attack NATO territory.
Russia-Iran talks
Trump also assessed the latest talks between Russia and Iran on the nuclear program. Saying that any decision on whether to impose sanctions on Moscow over the issue would depend on the circumstances, Trump said they would closely monitor the process.
Question about sanctions on Chinese banks
The U.S. president also answered a question about why sanctions had not been imposed on Chinese banks said to have close ties with Iran. Trump asked how they knew he had not imposed sanctions and said he was not required to disclose everything he did to the public.
Claim about Ratcliffe's visit to Russia
It had been alleged that CIA Director John Ratcliffe's secret visit to Russia was intended to warn Russian officials against attacks on NATO member countries and the Baltic states.
U.S. officials had claimed that the visit took place after recent U.S. intelligence assessments that Russian President Vladimir Putin could test NATO's resolve within a few years by attacking an allied country.