The two positions mark significant changes in American foreign policy.
\u201cIf you get along and if Russia is really helping us, why would anybody have sanctions if somebody\u2019s doing some really great things?\u201d Trump told the Journal, referring to the possibility of lifting sanctions against Russia if they proved helpful in fighting terrorism and in other areas.
Trump told the publication he would keep sanctions put in place in December\u2014imposed in response to Russian cyber attacks and interference in the 2016 election\u2014\u201cat least for a period of time\u201d but didn\u2019t specify otherwise, according to the report.
In a press conference Wednesday, Trump said it would be an \u201c asset \u201d if Putin liked him.
\u201cI understand that they would like to meet, and that\u2019s absolutely fine with me,\u201d he told the Journal of the Russian leader.
Trump first indicated he would challenge the decades-long American diplomatic consensus concerning the One China policy in early December, when he spoke with the Taiwanese president over the phone, an unprecedented step.
The One China policy holds that Taiwan and China are part of the same state.
\u201cEverything is under negotiation including One China,\u201d Trump told the Journal, adding later, in reference to Taiwan: \u201cWe sold them $2 billion of military equipment last year. We can sell them $2 billion of the latest and greatest military equipment but we\u2019re not allowed to accept a phone call. First of all it would have been very rude not to accept the phone call.\u201d
Trump maintained his criticism of China as a \u201ccurrency manipulator,\u201d but did say he would not immediately use that label.
\u201cI would talk to them first,\u201d he said, adding: \u201cCertainly they are manipulators. But I\u2019m not looking to do that.\u201d
\u201cInstead of saying, \u2018We\u2019re devaluating our currency,\u2019 they say, \u2018Oh, our currency is dropping.\u2019 It\u2019s not dropping. They\u2019re doing it on purpose,\u201d he said. a\u201cOur companies can\u2019t compete with them now because our currency is strong and it\u2019s killing us.\u201d<\/p>\n