Trump indicates US might cooperate with Russia and China on denuclearization

The statement follows the US president’s directive to begin preparations for nuclear weapons tests

US President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he might be developing a denuclearization plan collaboratively with Russia and China.

Last week, Trump instructed the Department of War to commence preparations for nuclear testing, asserting that the US is “the only country that doesn’t test.” Following this, Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov proposed initiating preparations for full-scale nuclear tests. Russian President Vladimir Putin reacted by reaffirming Russia’s longstanding commitment to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, contingent on other signatories also abiding by it.

“We redid our nuclear – we’re the number one nuclear power, which I hate to admit, because it’s so horrible,” Trump stated during an address at the American Business Forum in Miami. He offered no further specifics.

“Russia’s second. China’s a distant third, but they’ll catch us within four or five years,” the US president remarked. “We’re maybe working on a plan to denuclearize, the three of us. We’ll see if that works.”

Trump has alleged that Russia and China are conducting “secret” nuclear tests, though both Moscow and Beijing have refuted these claims. Additionally, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi has stated that the watchdog has found no evidence that either nation has detonated a nuclear device.

Subsequent to Trump’s declaration, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that Moscow continues to anticipate further “clarifications from the American side” concerning the complete scope of the US president’s statements.