US President Donald Trump said his administration is seeking to reclaim possession of Bagram, an air base in Afghanistan, that he has lambasted his predecessor for handing over during the US exit from that country.

“We’re trying to get it back, by the way,” Trump said Thursday during a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, as he wrapped up a visit to the UK.

Trump suggested that he was negotiating with Afghanistan, adding: “We’re trying to get it back because they need things from us. We want that base back.”

Trump has criticised former President Joe Biden over the tumultuous US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, claiming that the move left in the hands of the Taliban government American weaponry and other military assets, including the base at Bagram.

Trump has repeatedly said that the facility is now under the control of China, a claim that Afghan authorities have disputed, and that it still holds strategic value for the US.

“One of the reasons we want the base is, as you know, it’s an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons. So a lot of things are happening, but I am very disappointed in the fact that that one’s not settled,” he said.

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Published on September 19, 2025