Kremlin warns that U.S. resumption of nuclear testing would compel Russia to respond in kind.
Putin’s Directive to Security Council
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his ministers and national security officials to draft proposals for potential nuclear weapons tests a move Moscow says is in response to Washington’s reported decision to end its three-decade moratorium on testing.
Addressing a meeting of Russia’s Security Council on Wednesday, Putin warned that if the United States or any signatory of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) resumes testing, Russia will be “obliged to respond in kind.”
“In this regard, I instruct the Foreign Ministry, the Defence Ministry, the intelligence agencies, and related civilian bodies to collect additional intelligence and submit coordinated proposals on the first steps toward preparing for nuclear weapons testing,” Putin said, according to an official Kremlin transcript.
Tensions Escalate Between Washington and Moscow
The directive comes just days after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he had ordered the Pentagon to “immediately” restart nuclear testing a move that effectively ends the moratorium that has been in place since 1992.
Relations between the two nuclear superpowers have deteriorated sharply amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and new American sanctions targeting Russian oil companies.
Trump last week accused Moscow of violating arms control norms by testing the Burevestnik, a nuclear-powered cruise missile, and vowed that the U.S. would match Russia’s nuclear capabilities “on equal footing.”
Russian Military Leaders Sound Alarm
Russia’s Defense Minister, Andrei Belousov, told Putin during the meeting that Washington’s new testing policy “significantly raises the level of military threat to the Russian Federation.”
He warned that the Ministry of Defence must ensure that the country’s nuclear readiness remains at a level “sufficient to inflict unacceptable damage” in any future confrontation.
General Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff, added that Russia’s Novaya Zemlya testing facility in the Arctic could be activated “at short notice” if Moscow decides to resume nuclear detonations.
“If we do not act promptly, we risk losing the window of opportunity to respond effectively to U.S. actions,” Gerasimov cautioned.
Kremlin’s Official Stance
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Putin had not set a specific deadline for the proposals but confirmed that preparations are underway.
He said the decision reflects Moscow’s “defensive posture” in light of Washington’s “destabilizing” nuclear moves.
“Russia remains committed to global stability, but we cannot ignore the strategic imbalance created by the United States,” Peskov stated.
Global Concern Over Renewed Arms Race
The development has sparked alarm among international observers and disarmament groups, who warn that a return to nuclear testing could unravel decades of arms control progress.
Russia last conducted a nuclear test in 1991 before the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Both Washington and Moscow signed the CTBT in 1996, although neither has fully ratified it.
Analysts say the renewed nuclear brinkmanship could usher in a new arms race, with other nuclear powers including China and North Korea reassessing their own testing policies.