WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said he wants to open denuclearisation talks with Russia and China, revisiting an issue he previously raised as he also seeks to restart stalled diplomacy with North Korea.

`One of the things we`re trying to do with Russia and with China is denuclearisation, and it`s very important,` Trump told reporters ahead of his meeting on Monday with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung at the White House.

`I think the denuclearisation is a very it`s a big aim, but Russia is willing to do it, and I think China is going to be willing to do it too. We can`t let nuclear weapons proliferate. We have to stop nuclear weapons. The power is too great,` Trump said.

At a separate White House event earlier on Monday, Trump said he had raised the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He did not share specific details on when the conversation took place.

`We`re talking about limiting nuclear weapons. We`ll get China into that,` Trump said. `China is way behind, but they`ll catch us in five years. We would like to denuclearize. It`s too much power, and we talked about that also,` Trump added. The US president`s comments come as he expressed his desire to meet with North Korea`s leader Kim Jong Un this year. Kim has ignored Trump`s repeated calls since the Republican president took office in January to revive the direct diplomacy Trump pursued during his 20172021 term in office, which produced no deal to halt North Korea`s nuclear programme.-Reuters