Russia on guard after Trump’s call to resume nuclear weapons testing

President Donald Trump’s call for the U.S. to resume nuclear testing after a more than 30-year pause has caught Russia’s attention, with the Kremlin warning on Thursday that it would “act accordingly” if a Cold War-era moratorium on nuclear weapons’ testing was broken.

Ahead of his high-profile talks with China’s President Xi Jinping in Asia on Thursday, Trump said he had instructed the Pentagon — rebranded as the “Department of War” — to resume nuclear testing.

“The United States has more Nuclear Weapons than any other country … Russia is second, and China is a distant third, but will be even within 5 years. Because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis. That process will begin immediately,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.

Earlier on Thursday, Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov was asked by reporters for his reaction to Trump’s comments on resuming nuclear tests after a moratorium was introduced in 1992 following the end of the Cold War and fall of the Soviet Union.

“Trump mentioned in his statement that other countries were allegedly testing nuclear weapons. Until now, we were not aware that anyone was testing anything,” Peskov told journalists, in comments translated by NBC News.

“And if the Burevestnik test is somehow being referred to, it is in no way a nuclear test,” he added.
“All countries are developing their defense systems, but this is not a nuclear test,” Peskov said.

Advertisement

He added that the U.S. has the right to make “sovereign decisions” but reiterated Russian President Vladimir Putin’s position that “if someone abandons the moratorium, Russia will act accordingly.” He did not provide further details on how Russia would act.

Asked if this was the start of a new arms race with the West, Peskov replied, “no,” but tensions over nuclear weapons have simmered for decades despite various attempts to get rival powers to cease the development, testing and modernizing of existing or new nuclear arsenals.

In 1963, the Partial Test Ban Treaty, signed initially by the U.S., U.K. and Russia, banned nuclear tests in all environments except underground. The treaty was a precursor to the current Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty which has been ratified by 178 states. The U.S. officially stopped testing nuclear weapons in 1992. China and Russia aren’t known to have conducted any tests since the 1990s, either.

In 2023, however, Russia rescinded its ratification of the treaty, saying it did not approve of the U.S.’ attitude toward global security. However, Russia did not clarify on whether or not it would resume its nuclear testing.

The suspicion and threat around countries modernizing existing nuclear weapons, and developing new ones, has remained a live risk as geopolitical tensions mount between nuclear powers, and countries who have not signed up to the non-proliferation treaty and are developing nuclear weapons, like India and Pakistan.

Trump’s announcement comes after Russia flexed its military muscle last week by testing its much-vaunted Burevestnik long-range cruise missile, which is capable of carrying conventional or nuclear warheads.

Russia boasted that the missile is “invincible,” has an “unlimited range” and can evade air and missile defense systems.

Trump was less than impressed by the test, saying Russia should focus instead on ending the war in Ukraine.

Advertisement

It’s likely there was some wariness in Moscow on Thursday, with the country having watched its longtime geopolitcal ally Xi Jinping hold cordial talks with Trump, with the leaders praising an apparently fruitful meeting in South Korea.

The meeting came after Trump had appeared to turn against Moscow in recent weeks, cancelling talks with Putin amid frustration with Russia’s unwillingness to consider a ceasefire with Ukraine. Meanwhile, the White House leader hailed “amazing” talks with X, with “agreement on many issues.”

Trump said he reached a 1-year agreement with China on rare earth supplies and he also cut fentanyl-linked tariffs on Beijing by half, taking overall duties on Chinese goods down to 47%.

China had also “agreed that they will begin the process of purchasing American Energy,” Trump stated later in a Truth Social post, adding: “In fact, a very large scale transaction may take place concerning the purchase of Oil and Gas from the Great State of Alaska.”

Xi, meanwhile, said Beijing and Washington should be “partners and friends” as he met Trump.

The seemingly warm meeting, and tangible results, of the Trump-Xi talks will not be music to Moscow’s ears, given its close relationship with China, which it prizes as one of the few powerful geopolitical and trade partners it has left after its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

When it came to the more than three-and-a-half year conflict in Ukraine, Trump said the issue “did come up” and that the U.S. and China were going to work together to stop people being killed. He also signaled his fatigue with the war, however, stating, “The two sides are locked in fighting, and sometimes you’ve got to let them fight I guess. Crazy.”

Russia did not comment on the talks on Thursday although CNBC has asked the Kremlin for a response on the meeting.