Trump says he would lift Russian sanctions for nuclear arms reduction deal

President-elect Donald Trump may offer to lift existing sanctions on Russia in exchange for a deal to reduce nuclear arms, The Times of London reports. In an interview with the paper released Monday, Trump said he thinks nuclear weapons "should be way down and reduced substantially," and wants to "see if we can make some good deals with Russia."

This marks a change in tone from December, when Trump tweeted that "the United States must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability." The United States has more than 1,300 nuclear warheads, and Russia has nearly 1,800, Reuters reports.

The Obama administration in recent weeks expanded sanctions and expelled 35 diplomats who were suspected spies, in retaliation for Russia's alleged hacking of Democrats in the 2016 presidential election. Trump said he hopes to have a better relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin than President Obama has had.

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In the same interview, Trump slammed NATO as "obsolete" and said Britain's controversial exit from the European Union will wind up "being a great thing."