A United Nations spokesman said Thursday that nuclear testing was never permissible "under any circumstances" after US President Donald Trump hinted he would seek to resume the practice.
"The secretary-general has repeatedly asserted that current nuclear risks are already alarmingly high, and all actions that could lead to miscalculation or escalation with catastrophic consequences must be avoided... nuclear testing can never be permitted under any circumstances," said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres's deputy spokesman Farhan Haq.
Trump appeared to suggest the US will resume testing nuclear weapons for the first time in three decades, saying it would be on an “equal basis” with Russia and China.
The Kremlin pointed out that a global ban on nuclear tests has remained in place, but warned that if any country resumes nuclear testing Russia would follow suit.
There was no indication the US would start detonating warheads, but Trump offered few details about what seemed to be a significant shift in US policy.
He made the announcement on social media minutes before he met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday in South Korea to discuss trade. He offered little clarity when he spoke to reporters later aboard Air Force One as he flew back to Washington.
The US military already regularly tests its missiles that are capable of delivering a nuclear warhead, but it has not detonated the weapons since 1992. The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, which the US signed but did not ratify, has been observed since its adoption by all countries possessing nuclear weapons, North Korea being the only exception.
Trump suggested, however, that changes were necessary because other countries were testing weapons. It was unclear what he was referring to, but it evoked Cold War-era escalations.
“Because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis," he said in a post on his Truth Social site. "That process will begin immediately.”
