Trump claims Putin backs concept of reducing nuclear stockpiles
Date
1/26/2025 4:25:48 AM
(MENAFN) US President Donald trump expressed his desire to engage in talks with Russia and China about reducing nuclear weapons stockpiles. He recalled that Russian President Vladimir Putin had previously supported the idea of denuclearization, a topic Trump discussed with him before the 2020 US election.
Speaking via video link at the 2025 World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, Trump said, "President Putin wanted to do it, and we both wanted to do it." He added that China would have been involved, which would have been a significant step for global peace. Trump also highlighted the high costs associated with maintaining the US nuclear arsenal, suggesting that limiting the number of deployed weapons could reduce those expenses.
In 2019, Trump had mentioned that he and Putin had considered a new nuclear arms limitation deal, potentially involving China, which could have been a landmark agreement among the world's top three nuclear powers. This was around the time when the ‘New START’ treaty, which required the US and Russia to reduce their strategic nuclear warheads, was set to expire. The treaty was later extended until 2026.
However, in 2023, Russia suspended its participation in the treaty due to US military support for Ukraine but vowed to stick to the treaty's limits. Moscow has since warned that continued US military activity near its borders and the global deployment of nuclear-capable missiles could lead to a proportional response. Russia, possessing the largest nuclear stockpile, has stressed that it views nuclear weapons as a “last resort.”
Last year, Russia updated its nuclear doctrine, stating that aggression from a non-nuclear state, or a group of states backed by a nuclear power, could be seen as a "joint attack" on Russia.
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