Trump proposes nuclear arms reduction at China summit

The White House said that U.S. President Donald Trump will raise the issue of nuclear arms reduction during a meeting in China this week with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

White House spokesperson Olivia Wilds told reporters, “The president will discuss nuclear arms reduction globally, which he views as extremely dangerous.” She added that the meeting will take place on Thursday in China.

Trump’s repeated insistence that the unprecedented three-way meeting focus on nuclear arms reduction has angered China, which is hosting a summit centered on trade and business. China has rejected attempts to discuss nuclear weapons with Russia and the United States, the two countries possessing the largest nuclear arsenals.

Putin, Xi, and Trump are expected to meet on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Shenzhen. Trump departs on Monday for a four-day trip to Asia that also includes a stop in the Philippines.

A senior Trump administration official on nuclear issues said, “We do not expect to reach any kind of agreement.” He added, “This is a difficult subject for China to handle, but we believe the time has come for China to come to the grown-up table, so to speak, and have mature discussions about mature issues.”

Beijing has resisted direct engagement with Washington on nuclear matters for years, arguing that it is more appropriate for Russia and the United States to speak directly given their massive arsenals.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Russia possesses the largest stockpile of nuclear warheads, followed by the United States and then China. This year marked the expiration of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty between the United States and Russia.

It remains unclear whether Russia or China intend to engage in dialogue with Trump on nuclear arms reduction.

The Chinese and Russian embassies in Washington did not respond to requests for comment sent via email.

The official said Trump would also raise the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran during the meeting, but it is not expected that he will bring up Russia’s war in Ukraine.

The Republican president is not expected to hold a bilateral meeting with Putin or discuss Ukraine’s access to satellite communications services provided by Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Musk will join Trump on his trip to China but will not attend his meeting with Xi and Putin, according to the official.

The official said, “We have had many recent meetings with the Russians, but China is not really part of that track, so it does not seem appropriate to have a discussion about Ukraine there.”