INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Trump on Monday proposed future talks with the leaders of China and Russia aimed at halting what he described as an "uncontrollable" arms
race.Trump's comment follows an October announcement in which he said he would withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty
(INF), a Cold War deal with Russia to cut missile numbers.Critics say the move, which has not been finalized, would spark a new arms race
with Russia.Trump at the time said he would build up America's nuclear stockpile "until people come to their senses."In an early morning
tweet Monday, the president said: "I am certain that, at some time in the future, President Xi and I, together with President Putin of
Russia, will start talking about a meaningful halt to what has become a major and uncontrollable Arms Race.""The U.S
spent 716 Billion Dollars this year
Crazy!" he added.Trump's tweet came on the heels of a weekend meeting with Xi during the G20 summit in Argentina, during which the leaders
called a truce on an intensifying trade war between their two powerhouse countries.While Trump cancelled a scheduled bilateral meeting with
Putin in Buenos Aires, the two did have an "informal" conversation at the summit.The 1987 INF deal did not cover China and was designed to
eliminate short- and intermediate-range missiles on Europe's doorstep.A date for the US official withdrawal from the treaty has yet to be
pinpointed, leaving room for a possible fix that would likely also have to involve China.Trump's decision to withdraw from the INF raised
global concerns, and administration officials have been engaged on an aggressive public relations campaign with European leaders and the
press to explain the move.They say it is necessary because Russia has long been violating the INF.(Except for the headline, this story has
not been edited by TheIndianSubcontinent staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
