Trump support for denuclearization talks with Russia, China raises hopes

FILE - An aide carries nuclear codes to Marine One, the president's helicopter, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Jan. 20, 2021. President Donald Trump left from there before Joe Biden's inauguration as president. FILE - U.S. President Joe Biden shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Lima, Peru, Nov. 16, 2024. (Pool/AFP) FILE - President Barack Obama, left, and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev sign the New START treaty at the Prague Castle in Prague, April 8, 2010. The Doomsday Clock of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, set at 89 seconds to midnight, is displayed during a news conference at the United States Institute of Peace, Jan. 28, 2025, in Washington.

Arms control advocates are hoping U.S. President Donald Trump’s fresh words of support for denuclearization will lead to talks with Russia and China on arms reduction.