Trump calls for nuclear expansion
DONALD Trump yesterday called for the United States to expand its nuclear weapons capabilities – hours after Vladimir Putin said the same thing about Russia.
The President-elect tweeted the US should “greatly strengthen” its nuclear arsenal, in a jarring departure from decades of official policy.
Just hours earlier Russian President Mr Putin said Moscow would “strengthen strategic nuclear forces” so they can defeat any missile defence.
The announcements are a worrying signal the Trump administration could mark a new era in global nuclear brinkmanship – every US president since the Cold War has favoured de-escalation.
THE UNITED STATES MUST GREATLY STRENGTHEN AND EXPAND ITS NUCLEAR CAPABILITY UNTIL SUCH TIME AS THE WORLD COMES TO ITS SENSES
TWEET BY DONALD TRUMP
The timing also raised speculation Mr Trump and Mr Putin had issued co-ordinated statements.
The two men have praised each other in the past and Mr Trump has refused to blame the hacking of the US election on Russia, despite the CIA saying it was responsible.
There was no official explanation for Mr Trump’s tweet, which came a day after he met with Pentagon officials and bosses of defence contractors.
In the tweet, Mr Trump wrote: “The United States must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes.”