The United States and Russia each have more than 4,000 warheads. President Trump said China intends to catch up with them within five years.
Published October 16, 2026
President Donald Trump announced that the United States is in talks with Russia and China on nuclear disarmament.
President Trump said Thursday that China lags behind the United States and Russia in nuclear warheads, but is racing to catch up. In an interview with US broadcaster Newsmax, he added that the US government was discussing a path to “denuclearization” with its countries.
Recommended stories
list of 3 itemsend of list
China has about 620 nuclear warheads, which is small compared to the United States and Russia, which each have more than 4,000, but President Trump said he believes China will “catch up” within five years.
President Trump said, “I’d like to see denuclearization if possible, so all of this is disappointing.” “In fact, we’re talking to Russia about that, and we’re also talking to China about denuclearization.”
He noted that China does not appear to have any intention of disarming, but negotiations are continuing. Newsmax reported that President Trump spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping about the matter, but further details about the talks with Russia and China were not disclosed.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Russia has the world’s largest stockpile of nuclear warheads, and the United States is close behind.
Together, the two countries possess an estimated 86 percent of the world’s nuclear weapons.
According to SIPRI, China has the third largest nuclear arsenal, increasing its number to 620 warheads in the past year.
President Trump’s claims were made shortly after the expiration of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, an arms control agreement between the United States and Russia to limit nuclear weapons.
A month after the treaty expired, French President Emmanuel Macron announced the Forward Deterrence Initiative as Russia’s nuclear saber rampage during the war against Ukraine terrorizes Europe.
Former Australian Foreign Minister Gareth Evans told Al Jazeera that the world’s focus on the risks of nuclear weapons is waning.
“The world has become… alarmingly complacent about the risks of nuclear war, with major nuclear arms control agreements resulting in fatalities, casualties or requiring life support, and long-standing taboos against threat and use are eroding,” he said.
