Trump Announces Nuclear Disarmament Talks With Russia and China

President Donald Trump has said the United States is holding discussions with Russia and China aimed at reducing or eliminating nuclear weapons, opening a potentially significant diplomatic front involving the world's three largest nuclear powers.

Trump disclosed the discussions during an interview with Newsmax on Thursday. He said he had also spoken with Chinese President Xi Jinping about the possibility of denuclearization.

The announcement comes after the expiration earlier this year of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, known as New START. Signed in 2010 by the United States and Russia, the agreement established limits on deployed strategic nuclear weapons and delivery systems.

The treaty was extended once for five years under former President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Its expiration has raised concerns about the future of formal restrictions on the two countries' strategic nuclear arsenals.

Russia possesses the largest stockpile of nuclear warheads, followed by the United States and China, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. The three countries' nuclear policies have major implications for international security.

Trump has argued that China is rapidly expanding its capabilities and could approach U.S. levels within the next five years.

However, the precise terms, participants, timetable, and objectives of the reported discussions have not been fully disclosed. It remains unclear whether the conversations will produce a formal agreement or a new arms-control framework.

Any future agreement would likely require detailed negotiations over verification, limits, and compliance.