US President Donald Trump said Thursday that Washington is holding discussions with Russia and China over nuclear disarmament, signaling renewed efforts to reduce the world's largest nuclear weapons stockpiles amid growing concerns about global security.
Speaking in an interview with Newsmax, Trump confirmed that the United States is engaging Moscow and Beijing in talks aimed at reducing nuclear arsenals. He expressed frustration over the continued expansion of nuclear weapons capabilities and emphasized his interest in pursuing denuclearization agreements.
"The whole thing is a shame, because I’d love to denuclearize if possible, but we’re actually talking to Russia about that, and we’re talking to China about that denuclearization," Trump said.
The US president also predicted that China's nuclear weapons capabilities could catch up with those of the United States within the next five years, highlighting Beijing's expanding military arsenal.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Russia possesses the world's largest total inventory of nuclear warheads, followed by the United States and China. However, Washington maintains an advantage over Moscow in the number of deployed nuclear warheads.
Newsmax reported that Trump had personally discussed nuclear disarmament with Chinese President Xi Jinping, suggesting that the issue has become part of high-level diplomatic engagement between Washington and Beijing.
Trump's remarks come months after the expiration of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, commonly known as New START, which previously established limits on US and Russian strategic nuclear weapons.
Signed in 2010, the agreement was designed to restrict deployed strategic nuclear arsenals and maintain verification measures between the two nuclear powers.
The treaty permitted a single five-year extension, which former US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to implement before its expiration.
With that extension now expired, maintaining similar nuclear weapons restrictions would require new voluntary commitments or a separate agreement between Washington and Moscow.
Trump's latest statements suggest that the United States is exploring broader nuclear arms control discussions involving China alongside Russia.
However, the president did not provide specific details about the negotiations, potential agreements, or a timeline for achieving nuclear disarmament.
