WASHINGTON (AP) — On Thursday, President Donald Trump expressed his desire to revive nuclear arms control discussions with both Russia and China. He envisions a scenario where all three nations could agree to significantly reduce their substantial defense budgets by half.

While addressing reporters in the Oval Office, Trump voiced concerns over the enormous sums being allocated towards updating the nation’s nuclear arsenal. He aims to secure assurances from U.S. adversaries regarding their own military expenditures.

“There’s no need to develop entirely new nuclear weapons when we already possess so many,” Trump remarked. “We could destroy the world multiple times over. Yet, we continue to invest in new nuclear capabilities while others are doing the same.”

He added, “We are all spending vast amounts of money that could be redirected to initiatives that are significantly more productive.”

Trump pointed out that while the U.S. and Russia hold extensive stockpiles of nuclear weapons dating back to the Cold War, he anticipates that China will enhance its nuclear capabilities to match those of the other two nations “within five or six years.”

He cautioned that if these weapons were ever used, the outcome would likely be “complete annihilation.”

Looking ahead, Trump expressed his intention to initiate nuclear discussions with China and Russia once the situations in the Middle East and Ukraine are resolved. “One of my primary meetings will be with President Xi of China and President Putin of Russia. I want to propose, ‘Let’s halve our military expenditures.’ I believe it’s achievable,” he stated.

During his initial term, Trump attempted to involve China in nuclear arms reduction negotiations while the U.S. and Russia were extending the New START treaty. However, Russia paused its participation in this agreement during the Biden administration as both nations continued extensive efforts to modernize or replace their Cold War-era nuclear stockpiles.