Trump Wants Nuclear Deal To Include China

Any new treaty to counter the build-up of nuclear missiles should include China, US President Donald Trump said on Friday after the United States withdrew from a Cold War-era pact with Russia.

"We'd certainly want to include China at some point," Trump told reporters.

"That would be a great thing for the world," he added, hours after his administration formally pulled out of the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty.

Earlier, the Pentagon said the United States would accelerate its development of new cruise and ballistic missile systems following its withdrawal from the treaty.

Accusing Russia of "sustained and repeated violations" of the INF pact, Defence Secretary Mark Esper said the US had already begun work to develop "mobile, conventional, ground-launched cruise and ballistic missile systems."

As the United States had "scrupulously complied" with its obligations to the 1987 treaty until its formal withdrawal, "these programmes are in the early stages," Esper said in a statement.

Moscow has said that Washington is making a "serious mistake" pulling out of the treaty, insisting that the US had abandoned the agreement for its own gain rather than because of alleged Russian violations.