WORLD NEWS
MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his top ministers and security agencies to draw up proposals for potential nuclear weapons testing, warning that Moscow will respond in kind if the United States restarts its long-dormant program.
The move follows U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent directive to the Department of Defense to “immediately” resume nuclear weapons testing — effectively ending the three-decade moratorium that has been in place since 1992.
Speaking at a meeting of Russia’s Security Council, Putin said that any resumption of nuclear testing by the U.S. or other signatories of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) would compel Russia to act.
“In this connection, I am instructing the Foreign Ministry, the Defense Ministry, intelligence services, and other relevant civilian institutions to gather all necessary information and submit coordinated recommendations, with an emphasis on preparing for possible nuclear weapons tests,” Putin said, according to an official Kremlin statement.
Russia has not conducted a nuclear test since the Soviet era, with the last detonation taking place in 1991. However, tensions between Moscow and Washington have escalated sharply in recent weeks.
President Trump, angered by Russia’s continued military campaign in Ukraine, recently canceled a scheduled meeting with Putin in Hungary and imposed sanctions on two major Russian oil firms — the first since he returned to the White House in January.
On October 30, Trump instructed the Pentagon to resume testing “on an equal footing” with other nuclear powers, days after criticizing Moscow for conducting tests of its nuclear-powered Burevestnik cruise missile, designed to carry a nuclear payload.
During the same Security Council session, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov warned that the U.S. decision “significantly increases the military threat level to Russia,” stressing that the country must maintain its nuclear readiness at a level capable of delivering “unacceptable damage” if necessary.
He added that the Arctic testing site at Novaya Zemlya could be quickly reactivated should the need for testing arise.
General Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff, echoed these concerns, warning that failing to respond promptly could weaken Russia’s ability to counter U.S. actions. “If we do not act now, we may lose both time and the capability to respond effectively,” he cautioned.
After the meeting, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS that no specific deadline had been set for the proposals. He described the initiative as a “defensive measure” in light of recent developments in Washington.
The new escalation highlights the deteriorating state of global arms control, as both nuclear superpowers appear poised to revisit an era of testing that the world had largely moved beyond for more than three decades.
