Trump outlined denuclearisation as a key goal for his second term….reports Asian Lite News
President Donald Trump has expressed interest in initiating discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping to impose limits on nuclear arsenals. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump outlined denuclearisation as a key goal for his second term.
The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), the last remaining nuclear arms control pact between Washington and Moscow, is set to expire on February 5, 2026. The treaty caps the number of strategic nuclear warheads and their delivery systems deployed by both nations. However, Russia recently warned that negotiations for an extension appear deadlocked, casting doubt on the future of nuclear arms control between the world’s two largest nuclear powers.
Trump revealed that during his first term, he had reached an understanding with Putin on reducing nuclear weapons, with China showing initial openness to the idea. However, the discussions stalled during the COVID-19 pandemic. The former president criticised the lack of progress on nuclear talks under his predecessor, Joe Biden, who had pushed unsuccessfully for China to engage in arms control discussions.
Looking ahead, Trump pledged to revisit the issue and is considering trilateral talks with Putin and Xi. While no specific timeline was given, he said he hoped to begin discussions “in the not too distant future.”
“There’s no reason for us to be spending almost $1 trillion on military. There’s no reason for [China] to be spending $400 billion,” Trump stated. “We already have so many [nuclear weapons], you could destroy the world 50 times over.”
Trump also noted that while China is currently behind the U.S. and Russia in nuclear capabilities, it is rapidly advancing and could match them within six years. He emphasised the importance of results over logistics, saying, “It doesn’t matter where [the meetings] take place. It’s the end result that counts.”
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