President Donald Trump will push Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss nuclear weapons reductions during an unprecedented three-way meeting in China next week.
Trump to Push Nuclear Arms Reduction With Putin, Xi
Trump will raise nuclear disarmament during his meeting with Putin and Xi on Thursday in Shenzhen, China, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, White House spokesperson Olivia Wales said Friday, Reuters reported.
“He will discuss the reduction of nuclear weapons in the world, whose proliferation President Trump believes is very dangerous,” Wales told reporters.
The Republican president has repeatedly highlighted nuclear arms reduction as a priority for the meeting, despite China hosting the summit primarily to discuss trade and commerce.
A senior Trump administration official acknowledged that reaching an agreement would be unlikely, describing the issue as a “difficult topic for China to address.”
“We do not expect to get to any kind of agreement,” the official said.
However, the official said Washington wants Beijing to “step up” and participate in discussions involving the world’s largest nuclear powers.
The White House did not immediately respond to Benzinga’s request for comment.
Why China Is Resisting Nuclear Arms Talks
Beijing has historically rejected direct nuclear negotiations with Washington, arguing that the U.S. and Russia should first address their substantially larger nuclear arsenals.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Russia possesses the world’s largest nuclear warhead stockpile, followed by the U.S. and China.
The discussions come after the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), which governed nuclear arms limitations between Washington and Moscow, expired in February this year.
Trump to Discuss Iran, Skip Ukraine Issue
Trump will also bring up the war against Iran but is not expected to address Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, the administration official said.
The president is also unlikely to meet Putin separately or discuss Ukraine’s access to Space Exploration Technologies Corp.’s (NASDAQ:SPCX) satellite communications service, Starlink.
Elon Musk is accompanying Trump on his four-day Asia trip but will not attend the meeting with Putin and Xi, as per the report.
Trump is also not expected to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during the visit, which begins Monday and includes a stop in the Philippines.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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