Trump to raise nuclear-arms cuts with Putin, Xi on Thursday, White House says

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By Trevor Hunnicutt and Jasper WardWASHINGTON, Nov 13 (Reuters) - US President Donald Trump will raise nuclear-arms reduction at a meeting in China next week with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President XiJinping, the White House said on Friday."He will discuss the reduction of nuclear weapons in the world, whose proliferation President Trump believes is very dangerous," Olivia Wales, a White House…

WASHINGTON, Nov 13 (Reuters) - US President Donald Trump will raise nuclear-arms reduction at a meeting in China next week with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President XiJinping, the White House said on Friday.

"He will discuss the reduction of nuclear weapons in the world, whose proliferation President Trump believes is very dangerous," Olivia Wales, a White House spokeswoman, said on a call with reporters. She added that the meeting would take place on Thursday in China.

Trump's repeated insistence that the first-of-its-kind meeting of the three leaders focus on nuclear arms reductions has riled China, which is hosting a summit focused on trade and commerce. China has rebuffed attempts to talk about nuclear arms with Russia and the United States, which have the largest stockpiles of such weapons.

Putin, Xi and Trump are expected to meet on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Shenzhen. Trump is leaving on Monday for a four-day trip to Asia that also includes a stop in the Philippines.

"We do not expect to get to any kind of agreement," a senior Trump administration official said regarding the nuclear issue. "This is a difficult topic for China to address, but we do think it's time for China to sort of step up, you know, to the adults' table, if you will, and have adult conversations about adult things."

The official added: "This is the beginning of hopefully a conversation that can be productive going forward."

Beijing has for years resisted direct engagement with Washington about its nuclear program, saying it is more appropriate for Russia and the US to speak directly because of their large arsenals.

Russia has the most stored nuclear warheads, followed by the United States and China, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty between the US and Russiaexpired this year.

It was not clear whether Russia or China intended to engage in a conversation about arms…

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