London, UK - President Donald Trump said Thursday that he was working to "get back" the Bagram airbase in Afghanistan, which the US gave up control of shortly before the Taliban takeover of the country in 2021.

"We're trying to get it back, by the way, that could be a little breaking news. We're trying to get it back because they need things from us," Trump said at a press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

"We want that base back," he insisted, adding that "one of the reasons we want the base is, as you know, it's an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons."

US officials did not immediately clarify what Trump meant exactly by "get back."

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Bagram, Afghanistan's biggest airbase, was the linchpin of US-led operations in the country for two decades after its invasion following the September 11, 2001 attacks.

But US and NATO troops pulled out of the base in July 2021 as the resurgent Taliban took over swathes of Afghanistan before finally taking control of the entire country.

Trump has repeatedly bemoaned the loss of the base since returning to power, while also looking to counter China's growing influence in Afghanistan.