Putin signals Russia could resume nuclear tests for first time in 35 years after Trump’s surprise directive to end US moratorium

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday ordered officials to submit proposals that could lead to the possible resumption of nuclear tests, just days after President Trump’s surprise directive for the US to end its moratorium on the practice for the first time in more than 30 years.

Putin reaffirmed that if the US were to conduct such tests, Russia would respond, multiple outlets reported Wednesday. He instructed the foreign and defense ministries to collect additional information and make proposals regarding the potential start of nuclear weapons testing. Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, according to NBC’s translation, urged his government to begin preparing for “full-scale nuclear testing immediately” in response to Washington.

However, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov emphasized in a statement to CNN that Russia is “just investigating whether it is necessary to start preparations” and remains bound by “our obligations on the overall ban of nuclear tests.”

Trump’s comment on nuclear testing

President Trump earlier ordered the Department of Defense to start “testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis” with other countries “immediately.”

In an interview with CBS News, Trump also commented on nuclear testing while expressing concern about the pace of global denuclearization. His comments appeared to imply that the US could resume such tests "on an equal footing" with Russia and China.

“Well, we have more nuclear weapons than any other country. Russia’s second. China’s a very distant third, but they'll be even in five years. You know, they're makin' 'em rapidly, and I think we should do something about denuclearization, which is gonna be some—and I did actually discuss that with both President Putin and President Xi,” Trump said.

However, as per multiple media reports, US energy secretary Chris Wright later clarified that the tests ordered by Trump would not include any nuclear explosions but would instead be limited to system testing within safety boundaries.

Russia’s testing of nuclear-powered weapon

Trump made the remarks while visiting South Korea, just days after Putin announced the successful testing of new nuclear-capable weapons, including a nuclear-powered cruise missile and an underwater drone. Putin praised the systems as "impossible to intercept," a message interpreted by analysts as aimed directly at Washington amid ongoing tensions over Ukraine.

The renewed tension comes as the global community continues to uphold the 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, which aims to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons. Only a handful of countries have conducted full-scale nuclear tests since that time.

Russia vs US nuclear arms race

Russia has the most confirmed nuclear weapons, totaling over 5,500 nuclear warheads. The United States has 5,044 nuclear weapons. Russia last conducted a nuclear test on October 24, 1990, before the fall of the Soviet Union.