Nuclear Disarmament

US President Donald Trump has said that Washington is discussing nuclear disarmament with Russia and China, raising the prospect of renewed efforts to address the world's largest nuclear arsenals. However, he has not announced any agreement, specific reduction targets or a formal timetable for negotiations.

Trump made the remarks during an interview with Newsmax on Thursday, October 15. He said he would like to see nuclear weapons reduced and indicated that the United States was talking to both Moscow and Beijing about the issue.

“The whole thing is a shame, because I’d love to denuclearize if possible,” Trump said, according to Reuters. He added that Washington was discussing denuclearization with Russia and China.

Trump raises concerns about China's nuclear capabilities

During the interview, Trump said he expected China to catch up with the United States in nuclear capabilities within the next five years. His comments reflect Washington's concerns about China's expanding nuclear arsenal and the challenge of bringing all three major nuclear powers into arms-control discussions.

The three countries possess the world's largest nuclear arsenals. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Russia has the largest stockpile of stored nuclear warheads, followed by the United States and China. The ranking differs when deployed warheads are considered, with the United States having more deployed warheads than Russia.

Bringing the three countries into a common framework would be a complex diplomatic task because their nuclear capabilities, security priorities and positions on arms control are different.

New START treaty expiry adds urgency

Trump's comments come after the expiration of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, commonly known as New START, in February 2026. The agreement, signed by the United States and Russia in 2010, placed limits on the two countries' deployed strategic nuclear warheads and delivery systems.

The treaty was extended once for five years under former US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Its expiry removed the treaty's binding limits and established monitoring framework, increasing concerns about transparency and the risk of a renewed nuclear arms race.

Any replacement arrangement would require fresh negotiations and agreement on issues such as limits, verification and compliance.

China’s participation remains a key challenge

A major obstacle is whether China would agree to formal trilateral nuclear-arms negotiations with Washington and Moscow. Beijing has previously argued that its nuclear arsenal is much smaller than those of the United States and Russia and has resisted joining negotiations on the same terms.

An October 2026 analysis published by Arms Control Today also noted that China had not joined the proposed trilateral arms-control process. A White House readout of a September meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping said Trump advocated negotiations involving all three countries, while China's public account did not mention arms control.

Newsmax reported that Trump had spoken with Xi about denuclearization, but the latest remarks do not establish that China has agreed to formal negotiations or accepted specific limits on its arsenal.

What happens next?

The immediate question is whether the reported discussions will lead to formal negotiations and concrete proposals. Any meaningful agreement would likely need to address the size of nuclear arsenals, verification mechanisms and the security concerns of all participating countries.

For now, Trump's statement signals an expressed interest in pursuing nuclear disarmament discussions with Russia and China. It does not, by itself, confirm that negotiations have formally begun or that the three countries are close to an agreement.