President Donald Trump said on Monday that he is preparing to open denuclearization talks with Russia and China, reviving a plan he first floated earlier this year and linking it to his push to restart diplomacy with North Korea.
“One of the things we’re trying to do with Russia and with China is denuclearization, and it’s very important,” Trump told reporters before meeting South Korean President Lee Jae Myung at the White House. He added that both Moscow and Beijing appeared open to the idea.
“I think the denuclearization is a very — it’s a big aim, but Russia is willing to do it, and I think China is going to be willing to do it too. We can’t let nuclear weapons proliferate. We have to stop nuclear weapons. The power is too great,” Trump said.
At a separate White House event earlier, Trump said he had already brought up the issue with Vladimir Putin, but didn’t clarify when they had spoken.
“We’re talking about limiting nuclear weapons. We’ll get China into that,” he said. “China is way behind, but they’ll catch us in five years. We would like to denuclearize. It’s too much power, and we talked about that also.”
North Korea dimension
Trump once again expressed his hope to meet Kim Jong Un later this year. Despite repeated invites since taking office, Pyongyang hasn’t replied, and past summits didn’t lead to a nuclear deal.
Treaty deadlines and global context
With New START heading towards its 2026 expiration, arms control is once again under discussion. Signed in 2010, it’s the last active nuclear treaty between Washington and Moscow, placing limits on warheads and delivery systems.
Russia has already warned that chances of extending the treaty are slim. Under President Joe Biden, the U.S. had pressed China to enter formal nuclear talks, but those efforts saw little movement.
Trump first outlined his plan in February, saying he wanted to bring both Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping into new discussions on curbing nuclear stockpiles. At the time, he described denuclearization as a central aim of his second term and said he hoped negotiations could begin “in the not too distant future.”
It’s uncertain whether Trump’s appeal for talks will spark action internationally. Moscow and Beijing could have a different perspective on the U.S. position, and Pyongyang has stayed silent so far. As New START’s deadline looms, the future of global arms control is once again in question.
