MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered officials on Wednesday to submit proposals for a possible resumption of nuclear tests in response to US President Donald Trump’s statements last week that appeared to suggest the United States 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.
The US military also has regularly tested nuclear-capable weapons, but it has not detonated the 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.