Putin Directs Officials to Prepare for Nuclear Tests Amid US Nuclear Posture Shift

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday indicated that Moscow may resume nuclear tests if the United States moves ahead with its own. The statement came during a Security Council meeting in Moscow, weeks after US President Donald Trump declared that Washington would restart nuclear testing.

Putin Orders Officials to Prepare Proposals

During the meeting, Putin directed officials from Russia's defense and foreign ministries, along with security agencies, to "gather information on this topic" and prepare "proposals on the possible start of preparation works for nuclear weapons tests."

The Russian leader's directive marks one of the clearest signals yet that Moscow could break from the moratorium on nuclear testing that has held since the early 1990s. His remarks also followed a comprehensive readiness drill involving Russia's land, sea, and air-based nuclear forces.

"The so-called modernity of our nuclear deterrent forces is at the highest level," Putin said, adding that it was "higher than any other nuclear power."

Trump's Statement Sparks Global Reactions

Putin's comments came shortly after former US President Donald Trump's remarks that the US would begin nuclear testing "on an equal basis" with other nations. Trump made the statement in a social media post just before meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea, writing that the process would "start immediately."

The declaration sparked uncertainty in Washington and among global security analysts. It remained unclear whether Trump referred to testing nuclear weapons themselves or the delivery systems used to launch them.

Russia and US Accusations Over Nuclear Transparency

Russia has recently tested two new nuclear-powered weapons but has not conducted a full-scale nuclear explosion. Washington, however, has accused Moscow of performing small, low-yield nuclear tests and withholding transparency in its arms program.

Only North Korea has conducted a nuclear explosion in the 21st century, the last one in 2017.

Trump Reiterates Testing Claims

In a follow-up interview on CBS's 60 Minutes, Trump reiterated his claim that several countries, including Pakistan, China, North Korea, and Russia, were conducting secret underground nuclear tests.

"No, we're going to test because they test and others test. And certainly North Korea's been testing. Pakistan's been testing," Trump said. "You don't necessarily know where they're testing. They test way underground where people don't know exactly what's happening with the test."

Trump's repeated statements have raised concerns among international watchdogs, who warn that any move to resume testing by either the US or Russia could trigger a new phase of the global nuclear arms race.