Highlights from an interview with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump:

ON HILLARY CLINTON'S SYRIA PLANS

"Look, with her you'll end up in World War III. She doesn't know what she's doing, just like with Libya. So Syria now is no longer Syria. Syria is Russia and the new Iran that we built through the Iran deal, which is one of the worst negotiated deals I've ever seen. So you're not fighting Syria any more, you're fighting Sy- ria, Russia and Iran, all right. Russia is a nuclear country, but a country where the nukes work as opposed to other countries that talk."

ON RUSSIA

"I'm not friends or enemies with the Russians. I have nothing to do with Russia... (Clinton) always casts Putin as a bad guy. If she won, how is she going to go back and negotiate with this man? He's not going to want to negotiate with her, number one. Number two, I don't believe he has any respect for Hillary Clinton whatsoever."

ON PRESIDENT RODRIGO DUTERTE'S OPPOSITION TO U.S. TROOPS IN PHILIPPINES

"He probably made a deal with China... He has no respect or liking of Obama...

"I think it's a horrible thing that the United States is reduced to being thrown out of a country.

"There's a big group of people that are in that category (of world leaders who dislike Obama) because Obama wants to focus on his golf game. He doesn't want to take the time necessary to get along with people. It's too bad."

ON REPUBLICAN UNITY

"Thousands of people are standing there to vote. I think those people are very, very disappointed that the leaders (of the Republican Party) aren't helping us win.

"I know this: If the leaders were helping me, we couldn't lose this election. It would be an impossibility."

REUTERS