Russia ceases to be a nuclear power?!

"I think denuclearization is very important, it's a big game. But Russia is ready to do it, and I think China will be ready to do it. We must not allow nuclear weapons to spread. We must stop nuclear weapons," Trump said, without revealing details of the conversation.

The Kremlin did not comment on Trump's statement.

According to a report by the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), Russia had a total inventory of 5,580 nuclear warheads as of March 2024, including about 1,200 awaiting dismantling, the most of any country in the world.

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Russia's nuclear arsenal includes tactical weapons for use on the battlefield and strategic weapons capable of reaching the US.

Moscow has repeatedly issued nuclear threats against Ukraine and the West since launching a large-scale invasion in February 2022. Although those threats did not materialize, concerns about Russian military ambitions outside of Ukraine persist.

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To date, nuclear arms control talks between Moscow and Washington have not made any progress.

Weeks before the August 15 meeting between Trump and Putin in Alaska, the US president ordered two US nuclear-powered submarines to be moved to "appropriate regions" in response to former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's inflammatory language.

Medvedev said Washington's increased involvement in ending Russia's war against Ukraine could bring the US and Moscow closer to direct conflict. He repeatedly threatened nuclear escalation and spread Kremlin propaganda portraying Russia as a victim of Western aggression.

Trump accused Medvedev of "entering into very dangerous territory," calling him a "failed former president" and warning him to "watch his words."