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| An inflatable nuclear missile at a protest in Washington |
President Donald Trump has said he
wants the United States to expand its nuclear arsenal, in his first
comments on the issue since taking office.
It would be "wonderful, a dream" if no country had nuclear weapons, he said, in a wide-ranging Reuters interview.
The US has 7,100 nuclear weapons and Russia has 7,300, according to the US nonpartisan Arms Control Association. The president expressed concern the US was lagging behind on the issue.
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"I am the first one that would like to see everybody nobody have nukes, but we're never going to fall behind any country even if it's a friendly country, we're never going to fall behind on nuclear power.
"It would be wonderful, a dream would be that no country would have nukes, but if countries are going to have nukes, we're going to be at the top of the pack."
His latest comments on nuclear weapons echo a tweet he sent a few weeks after his election win, in which he pledged to increase the country's capability.
A new strategic arms limitation treaty between the US and Russia, known as New Start, requires that by 5 February of next year, both countries must limit their arsenals of strategic nuclear weapons to equal levels for 10 years.
Mr Trump also told Reuters:
- China are "champions" of currency manipulation
- He is "totally in favour" of the European Union
- China could get North Korea into line "very easily"
- Nato allies "owe a lot of money" and he will press them to contribute more
- He prefers a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but is open to other solutions too
His Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, repeatedly cast Mr Trump during the campaign as too erratic and lacking in the diplomatic skills required to avoid a nuclear war.
She mocked him by saying "a man who can be provoked by a tweet should not have his fingers anywhere near the nuclear codes".