President Donald Trump said Thursday his administration is working to regain control of Bagram Airfield, now under Taliban rule, four years after U.S. forces withdrew from Afghanistan.

Speaking at a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Trump called the 2021 withdrawal under President Joe Biden a “total disaster” and described the handover of Bagram as a mistake. 

The U.S. abandoned the base in July 2021, weeks before completing its withdrawal and officially ending the 20-year war in Afghanistan. Trump had earlier claimed that China had taken over the airfield, a claim the Taliban later rejected. 

“We’re trying to get it back because they need things from us,” Trump said. “One of the reasons we want the base is—it’s an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons.”

He further noted that Bagram, about 25 miles north of Kabul, was among the world’s largest airbases with a runway stretching 11,800 feet (3,600 meters), capable of handling bombers and large cargo planes.

Trump did not clarify whether negotiations with the Taliban are taking place or what the group needs from Washington. 

Earlier this year, U.S. envoy Adam Boehler and former diplomat Zalmay Khalilzad met Taliban officials in Kabul to press for the release of Americans held by the group. The Taliban, facing international isolation, reportedly used the talks to signal interest in normalizing ties with Washington.

According to a Taliban statement, the discussions covered “bilateral relations between the two countries, issues concerning citizens, and investment opportunities in Afghanistan.”

Following the talks, the Taliban released George Glezmann, a 66-year-old Delta Airlines mechanic from Atlanta, after more than two years in captivity. In response, the U.S. lifted a $10 million bounty for information leading to the arrest of senior Taliban leader Sirajuddin Haqqani.