Trump says Washington is discussing nuclear disarmament with Russia and China

Donald Trump said the United States is in discussions with Russia and China about denuclearization, describing a possible route to reducing nuclear weapons held by the three countries with the largest stockpiles. The remarks were made in an interview with Newsmax.

Trump said he had spoken with Chinese President Xi Jinping about the subject, according to Newsmax as reported by AsiaOne. Trump said China could catch up with the United States’ nuclear arsenal within five years. He also said China did not appear willing to disarm, while indicating that discussions were continuing.

His comments describe talks and his assessment of China’s position; the reports do not establish that either Russia or China has agreed to disarm. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute ranks Russia first, the United States second and China third by nuclear warhead stockpile, according to both articles.

The Jamaica Inquirer article, which identifies its content as originally appearing on Al Jazeera, puts China’s arsenal at about 620 warheads and says it expanded by that amount in the past year. It reports that Russia and the United States each have more than 4,000 warheads. AsiaOne gives the ranking but does not include those stockpile figures in its excerpt.

The two accounts emphasize different details rather than offering incompatible accounts of the central announcement. AsiaOne reports that Newsmax said Trump had spoken with Xi and notes the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty expired earlier that year.

The Jamaica Inquirer excerpt instead highlights China’s estimated arsenal, its recent growth and Trump’s view that Beijing may be unwilling to disarm. Both accounts report Trump’s claim that talks with Russia and China are underway. The treaty’s expiration is relevant context for the current discussion, but neither article says it triggered the talks.

The reporting does not describe the format, timing or substance of negotiations, nor does it provide a statement from Russia or China about the discussions. Trump’s comments therefore establish his account of U.S. engagement, not an agreement by the other governments.

The main question raised by the announcement is whether the stated discussions can move beyond conversation toward a defined disarmament process. The reported scale and ranking of the three arsenals make the subject consequential: the articles identify them as the countries holding the largest nuclear stockpiles.

For now, the clearest details are Trump’s description of ongoing talks, his estimate of China’s future arsenal relative to the United States, and the treaty’s reported expiration earlier that year.