US President Donald Trump said that he discussed the issue of nuclear disarmament with Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to him, the leaders intend to involve China in the dialogue.
Trump said during an interaction with reporters on 25 August that the topic was discussed during Putin’s visit to Alaska.
“We have the most nuclear weapons,” Trump said, “Russia is second and China is third. They are far behind us, but they will catch up in five years.”
He called the dialogue with Putin “good,” saying that “every conversation” with the Russian president turns out to be good.
Before travelling to Anchorage on 14 August, Putin said in a speech to the Russian Security Council that he might include the issue of nuclear weapons in a possible agreement on Ukraine to be discussed with Trump.
He said reaching “agreements on strategic offensive arms control” was possible in further talks with Washington.
The last nuclear arms control treaty between the US and Russia, START-III, expires in 2026.
The agreement is only partially honoured, with Moscow saying it was ending its participation in it, after it began its invasion of Ukraine.
Under the treaty, the US and Russia can keep no more than 1,550 nuclear warheads ready for use for each country. The total number of carriers is limited to 700. The treaty does not cover the strategic arms of other countries, including China.