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Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his officials to draft proposals for a possible commencement of nuclear weapons tests in response to Donald Trump’s vow to resume such activity.
The US president raised fears of an American-led new global nuclear arms race when he said last week he had ordered his defence department to resume testing nuclear weapons on an “equal basis” with Russia and China.
Putin told members of Russia’s security council on Wednesday: “If the US . . . conducts such tests, then Russia must also take appropriate retaliatory steps.”
He also demanded “proposals on the possible commencement of preparations for nuclear weapons tests”, which Moscow has not performed since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Preparing these proposals will take the time needed to “understand the intentions” of the US, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters after the security council meeting.
Trump sparked confusion on Wednesday last week when he unexpectedly announced on his Truth Social platform that the US would resume nuclear weapons testing after a 33-year hiatus.
It was not immediately clear whether Trump was referring to an explosive test of a nuclear warhead, or a test of a missile or other weapon system that would be capable of delivering a nuclear weapon.
But Trump on Friday appeared to double down on resuming nuclear weapons testing, saying “we’re going to do some testing”.
Putin’s call for proposals on possible nuclear weapons tests by Russia at the security council bore the hallmarks of a carefully choreographed performance.
He described Trump’s remarks as “serious” and invited other council members to comment on it.
Russian defence minister Andrei Belousov urged a focus on the actions of the US, which he said “point to an active build-up of Washington’s strategic offensive weapons”.
Belousov suggested immediately starting Moscow’s “preparations for full-scale nuclear testing”, adding the testing could be conducted on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago in northern Russia “within a short timeframe”.
Other Russian military and intelligence officials also stressed the “seriousness” of the situation, but noted the exact meaning of Trump’s statements was unclear and that the US was not giving Russia any clarifications.
Sergei Naryshkin, head of Russia’s foreign intelligence unit, told Putin about a “telegram” from Moscow’s ambassador to Washington, Alexander Darchiev, who had sought comment from the US National Security Council and the State Department, but said both had “avoided giving a substantive response”.
Shortly before Trump’s Truth Social post, Putin announced Russia had conducted tests of two nuclear-powered delivery platforms: the Burevestnik, a long-range cruise missile, and the Poseidon, an underwater drone.
Peskov said at the time that both tests were non-nuclear, meaning the testing involved delivery systems, rather than atomic warheads.
