Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered officials on Wednesday to submit proposals for a possible resumption of nuclear tests in response to President Donald Trump’s statements last week that appeared to suggest the US will restart its own atomic tests.
Speaking at a meeting with his Security Council, Putin reaffirmed his earlier statement that Moscow will only restart nuclear tests if the US does so first. But he directed the defense and foreign ministries and other government agencies to analyze Washington’s intentions and work out proposals for resuming nuclear weapons tests.
On Oct. 30, Trump appeared to signal that 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.
But US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Sunday that new tests of the US nuclear weapons system ordered by Trump will not include nuclear explosions.
Trump made the announcement on social media while in South Korea, days after Putin announced successful tests of the prospective nuclear-powered and nuclear capable cruise missile and underwater drone. Putin's praise for the new weapons that he claimed can't be intercepted appears to be another message to Trump that Russia is standing firm in its maximalist demands on settling the conflict in Ukraine.
The US military also has regularly tested nuclear-capable weapons, but it has not detonated atomic 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.
Putin in 2023 signed a bill revoking Russia's ratification of a global nuclear test ban, which Moscow said was needed to put it on par with the US. The global test ban was signed by President Bill Clinton but never ratified by the US Senate.
During Wednesday's Security Council meeting, Defense Minister Andrei Belousov reported to Putin about US efforts to modernize its atomic arsenals, arguing that along with a possible resumption of nuclear tests by Washington they “significantly increase the level of military threats to Russia.”
Belousov suggested that Moscow immediately start preparations for nuclear tests on the Arctic Novaya Zemlya archipelago. He added that the site, where the Soviet Union last tested a nuclear weapon in 1990, was ready for quickly resuming the explosions.
Gen. Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the military's General Staff, also vouched for quickly starting preparations for tests.
“If we don't take appropriate measures now, we will miss the time and opportunity to respond promptly to the US actions, as it takes from several months to several years to prepare for nuclear tests, depending on their type,” Gerasimov said.
After hearing from military leaders and other top officials, who noted the conflicting signals from Washington on whether the US will restart nuclear explosions, Putin ordered government agencies to “gather additional information on the issue, analyze it within the framework of the Security Council and submit coordinated proposals on the possible start of work on preparations for nuclear weapons tests.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasized that Putin didn't order a start to preparations for nuclear tests and for now only told officials to analyze whether it's necessary to begin such work. He said in remarks carried by the state Tass news agency that Moscow needs to fully understand US intentions before making further decisions.
Later, Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of the Security Council chaired by Putin, said the Russians have no choice but to treat Trump's comments seriously.
“No one knows what Trump meant about ‘nuclear testing’ (he probably doesn’t himself),” Medvedev posted on X. “But he’s the president of the United States. And the consequences of such words are inescapable: Russia will be forced to assess the expediency of conducting full-fledged nuclear tests itself.”
