Trump wanted to go back into nuclear arms control talks with Russia and China on February 13. Speaking to the press in the Oval Office, Trump stressed that he wanted to discuss this with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, hoping to halve military expenditures. Trump specified that the US, Russia, and China must ultimately agree on this, given the exorbitant expenditure on nuclear weapons.
Among the first meetings I would like to have is with President Xi of China and President Putin of Russia,” Trump stated. “And I would like to say: ‘Let’s reduce our military budget in half.’ And we can do that. And I believe we’ll be able to.”
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Focus on Nuclear Disarmament and Budget Reduction
Trump complained about the huge amounts being spent on nuclear weapons programs. He argued that the US doesn’t need to be producing brand-new nuclear weapons with the enormous caches already out there. “There’s no reason for us to be building brand-new nuclear weapons. We already have so many,” Trump argued. “You could destroy the world 50 times over, 100 times over. And here we are building new nuclear weapons, and they’re building nuclear weapons.”
The president warned that if the weapons are ever employed, it might result in “probably oblivion.” He also forecasted that China would be able to rival the US and Russia in nuclear power “within five or six years.”
Challenges and Setbacks in Past Efforts
In his initial term, Trump attempted to engage China in nuclear weapons reduction negotiations, though these failed. He had also tried to negotiate an extension of the New START treaty with Russia, an agreement that caps strategic nuclear warheads and launchers.
The treaty was put on hold by Russia during the Biden administration as both nations pursued their nuclear modernization programs.
Shift in US-Russia Relations
Trump’s recent call for talks follows a change in US-Russian relations. Trump stated that he hopes to sit down with Putin to have individual peace talks regarding Ukraine, a possible de-freezing of diplomatic relations.
The president called his telephone conversation with Putin “highly productive” in the first documented interaction between the two leaders since Trump returned to the White House. Even as Russia pursues its continued military offensive in Ukraine, Trump’s overtures constitute a bid to reboot relations with Russia.
