Trump's Claims in the Newsmax Interview

WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump said Washington is holding talks with Moscow and Beijing on denuclearization — efforts to reduce the nuclear weapons of the countries with the world's largest warhead stockpiles. The remarks were made in an interview with Newsmax on Thursday (10/15/2026).

"The whole thing is a shame, because I'd love to denuclearize if possible, but we're actually talking to Russia about that, and we're talking to China about that denuclearization," Trump said, as quoted by Reuters.

Newsmax reported Trump had also spoken with Chinese President Xi Jinping about denuclearization. In the same interview, Trump estimated China would catch up with the United States on nuclear weaponry within the next five years.

The Global Nuclear Balance

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Russia has the most stored nuclear warheads in the world, followed by the United States and China. The US, however, outpaces Russia on the number of warheads actually deployed.

Trump's comments come months after the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) expired earlier this year. The pact, signed in 2010, allowed only a single extension, which was agreed by former President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin for five years. Any new extension would require a voluntary executive decision to extend the treaty's limits.

The expiry of New START has left the first gap in a US-Russia arms control framework in decades, amid an ongoing race by all three countries to modernize their nuclear arsenals.

No Details Yet, Skepticism Follows

No details of the substance of the talks have been announced by Washington, Moscow, or Beijing. Trump's remarks were made amid rising geopolitical tensions — including his criticism of Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries, which he called "a disgrace," and escalating conflict in the Middle East involving Iran and its proxies.

Observers say claims of denuclearization talks should be treated with caution, given the absence of any verification mechanism or official statements from Russia and China. But if the discussions are real, talks among the three countries with the world's largest nuclear arsenals could shape the international security environment for years to come.

The remarks also come ahead of the US midterm elections in November 2026, when Trump's foreign policy — including his approach to Russia, China, and the Middle East — is under voter scrutiny.