President Donald Trump has declared that World War III could ‘very easily’ erupt and would prove to be ‘a war like no other’ with catastrophic nuclear weapons if peace talks over Ukraine failed.

The US president issued the stark warning on Friday night, while revealing ceasefire talks between Russia and Ukraine are progressing – but devastation could yet be unleashed if the two nations cannot agree peace terms.

Speaking to the Justice Department he said: ‘I think we have it, I think we have it, but this could lead to World War III, very easily, could very easily lead to World War III. 

‘But I think we’re in pretty good shape, a lot better than where we were before we got involved. 

‘That was heading into World War III territory, that would’ve been a war like no other because of nuclear weapons, and other types of weapons that you don’t even wanna know about.’

Claiming much of the progress had been made since he became president, Trump went on to say that he had been speaking with the Russian premier ‘to get the war over’.

He said: ‘I think we’re doing well with Russia, we’re speaking with President Putin, we want to get the war over.’

Trump also told his audience that ‘maybe’ $350billion had been sent to Europe – a figure that analysts believe to be higher than accurate – and that he was on the pathway to a deal where he would be ‘getting that back’.

He added: ‘We’ve had some very good calls today with Russia, and with Ukraine, they’ve agreed to a ceasefire if we can get it with Russia. And it’s not easy. It’s a tough one.’

The US President continued to claim that at one point ‘there would have been no war had I been president. It just 100 per cent would not have happened.’

His appearance at the Justice Department is the first by Trump and the first by any president in a decade. 

The last president to visit the department was Barack Obama, who attended then Attorney General Eric Holder’s departure ceremony.

Trump’s comments on Friday come as Ukrainian troops fighting in Kursk were urged to surrender by Vladimir Putin after Donald Trump urged Russia to ‘spare’ their lives.

Moscow has recaptured the vast majority of territory seized by Kyiv in its cross-border assault into Kursk last August, including in a rapid counteroffensive over the last week. 

Putin insisted that Ukrainian forces in Kursk would be ‘guaranteed life and dignified treatment’ if they laid down their arms. 

He said in a televised address: ‘We are sympathetic to President Trump’s call.

‘If they lay down their arms and surrender, they will be guaranteed life and dignified treatment.’

But he added: ‘In order to effectively implement the US president’s call, (there needs to be) a corresponding order from Ukraine’s military-political leadership to its military to lay down their arms and surrender.’

In a social media post, the US President had called on Putin to avoid a ‘horrible massacre’ and spare the lives of ‘thousands’ of vulnerable Ukrainian soldiers who he said were ‘completely surrounded’. 

Mr Trump wrote: ‘I have strongly requested to President Putin that their lives be spared. This would be a horrible massacre, one not seen since World War II.’

Kyiv denied Mr Trump’s claims that units had been encircled. However Volodymyr Zelensky admitted the situation in Kursk was ‘very difficult’.

President Trump’s comments on Ukraine and Russia came as he announced earlier on Friday a ‘proud new chapter’ of the Justice Department that would end the ‘weaponization’ of government in rambling speech that revisited his old wounds and allowed him to gloat.

‘We are turning the page on four long years of corruption, weaponization and surrender to violent criminals and we are restoring fair, equal and impartial justice under the law,’ Trump said, standing before the seal of the Department of Justice.

But the main point of his speech was to declare victory over his political rivals and the federal officials who tried to prosecute him. 

It was yet another setting for him to repeat his complaints about the cases against him and to mock his vanquished rival, Joe Biden.

Trump described the federal cases against him as ‘bulls***,’ admitting he was breaking a promise to wife Melania Trump in using the word.

‘I will not use a bad word. I promised my wife I would never use a bad word,’ he said before going on to use an expletive: ‘The case against me was bulls***.’

From the campaign onwards, Trump has demonstrated his interest in having control over the department and which investigations it pursues. 

The visit is the first by Trump and the first by any president in a decade. The last president to visit the department was Barack Obama, who attended then Attorney General Eric Holder’s departure ceremony.