President Donald Trump on Monday expressed his desire for denuclearization in his planned proposal to China and Russia.
This he stated while speaking with reporters in the Oval office.
The moves by President Trump since his assumption of office as the US President for the second time, have surely been unpredictable.
Following the US President’s proposal for ‘denuclearisation’, which he apparently discussed with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump indicated that he would also put arms control proposals before China.
China responded positively but basically said the US and Russia should go first as China is no longer that far behind.
This is the second time that Trump is calling for arms control.
His attempt was not successful and even made things worse leaving the arms control deals unattended to.
Trump is hopeful for a different outcome this time around.
He emphasized the urgent need for the three nations to substantially reduce their nuclear arsenals, highlighting the economic benefits of such a move.
Earlier, while speaking with reporters at the Oval Office earlier, Trump regarded the billions of dollars that both China and Russia spend on nuclear weapons as ‘wasteful’, stating that such funds could be put to more profitably use elsewhere.
He also noted that since China would be catching up soon, the arms control plan was necessary. He called for military budgets to be cut in half. This did not go down very well with some in the Pentagon.
However, some experts remain skeptical about Trump’s intentions, given his previous stance on nuclear issues.
During his first term, Trump broke with nearly 50 years history 50 years of history by becoming the first U.S. president since Richard Nixon not to negotiate an arms control treaty ³.
The path forward for denuclearization and arms control remains uncertain, with many factors at play.
The United States has committed to a significant nuclear modernization program, with a price tag of $1.7 trillion over the next 30 years.
This has sparked concerns about an escalating nuclear arms race, with potential consequences for global security.
The coming days will surely reveal the direction of this planned proposal.
