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MOSCOW (AP) — Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are both calling for their countries to strengthen their nuclear arsenals.
At an annual end-of-year meeting with defense chiefs today, Putin said Russia's military today can overpower any potential foe, but that it should build up its nuclear capability. He said that should be a chief objective for 2017.
Putin said the focus should be on weapons that can "penetrate existing and future missile defense systems."
Trump, meanwhile, tweeted today that the United States must "greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability." He says the nation must do so until the rest of the world -- as he puts it -- "comes to its senses" regarding nuclear weapons.
Trump's transition website says he will modernize the nation's nuclear arsenal so that it will remain an "effective deterrent."
During the campaign, Hillary Clinton repeatedly cast the Republican as too erratic and unpredictable to have control of the nation's nuclear arsenal.
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APPHOTO WX105: President-elect Donald Trump takes a question from a member of the media at Mar-a-Lago, in Palm Beach, Fla., Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2016. Trump on Thursday abruptly called for the United States to "greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability" until the rest of the world "comes to its senses" regarding nuclear weapons. Trump made the statement on Twitter and did not expand on either the actions he wants the U.S. to take or the issues he sees around the world. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) (21 Dec 2016)
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