'We could have destroyed the world 150 times': Trump discussed denuclearization with Russia and China
Photo: US and Chinese leaders Donald Trump and Xi Jinping (Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump said that his foreign policy goal is to reduce nuclear weapons, in other words, denuclearization. He stated that he has already discussed this issue with Russia and China, according to a White House livestream.
US President Donald Trump said that his foreign policy doctrine would focus on denuclearisation, arguing that the world already has more nuclear weapons than it needs. Speaking about his recent meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea, he said the United States remained first in nuclear capability, followed by Russia and then China.
"They're, you know, working overtime, uh, on nuclear weapons. I think that denuclearization would be a great thing. We could blow up the world 150 times. There's no need for this," Trump said.
He added that he hoped to reach a common understanding on denuclearisation with both Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"I've spoken to President Putin about it. I've spoken to President Xi about it. And everybody would like to spend all of that money on other things, people that really, you know, things that can benefit people now," he noted.
Trump reiterated that he expected to coordinate denuclearisation efforts with China and Russia, adding that he wanted "peace around the world," which, he said, was already "very close."
"We had a lot of wars raging that people didn't know about. Now they're not raging anymore. We have one left, and we're going to hopefully get that taken care of," Trump said, referring to the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Denuclearisation talks amid nuclear drills
Earlier this year, Trump said he aimed to persuade Russia and China to reduce their nuclear stockpiles, urging Putin to scale back strategic forces.
Recently, Russia carried out "strategic exercises" simulating the use of nuclear weapons with its Yars missile system. The European Union called on Moscow to stop its nuclear threats after Putin suggested resuming nuclear tests.
Shortly after, Trump confirmed that the United States intended to resume nuclear testing after a 30-year pause, stating that Washington "won’t be the only country not doing it," in reference to Russia and China.
Reports from 2023 indicated that the US, Russia, and China had all increased activity at their nuclear testing sites, according to satellite imagery.
