"If it expires, it expires," Trump said of the nuclear treaty between the US and Russia.

The last remaining arms control treaty between the US and Russia, New START, expires on February 5. It limits the number of strategic nuclear warheads that both countries can deploy.

"We'll just make a better deal," Trump told The New York Times, adding that any future agreement should also include China. The interview took place on Wednesday.

The 2010 New START agreement can no longer be extended. The treaty allowed for only one extension, and Vladimir Putin and former US President Joe Biden agreed in 2021 to extend it for five years.

In September, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed that both countries voluntarily maintain the restrictions set out in New START.

(reuters, est)