Putin Threatens Response If US Restarts Nuclear Tests

By Staff, Agencies

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that Moscow will take “reciprocal measures” if Washington resumes nuclear weapons testing, as tensions between the world’s top nuclear powers continue to rise.

During a meeting with Russia's Security Council on Wednesday, Putin ordered the Foreign Ministry, Defense Ministry, intelligence services, and civilian agencies to assess the possibility of restarting nuclear tests and to present proposals for initial steps.

“Russia would be under obligation to take reciprocal measures,” read a transcript of the meeting published by the Kremlin.

“In this regard, I instruct the Foreign Ministry, Defense Ministry, and relevant agencies to gather information and prepare proposals on possible steps toward nuclear weapons tests,” Putin said.

His direction was an apparent response to an order by US President Donald Trump on October 30 for Washington to “immediately” resume nuclear testing on an “equal basis” with other nuclear-armed powers, ending the moratorium in place since 1992

Trump made the decision just days after condemning Moscow for testing its new Burevestnik missile, a nuclear-powered weapon capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.

Putin further stressed that Moscow would be “obliged to respond” if Washington or any other signatory to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) carries out a test.

Russia has not conducted a nuclear explosion since the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991, but the Kremlin now suggests it could reconsider that stance if the US moves first.

At the meeting, Defense Minister Andrei Belousov warned that the US decision increases the “level of military threat to Russia,” urging readiness to deliver “unacceptable damage” if necessary.

Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, for his part, echoed the concern, stressing that inaction at the present time could leave Russia unable to respond effectively later.

Disarmament advocates and global security experts have already warned that resuming nuclear tests could destabilize global security and trigger a new arms race.

Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that while Russia is preparing for all scenarios, it would act only after fully understanding US intentions.

“In order to come to a conclusion about the advisability of beginning preparations for such tests, it will take exactly as much time as it takes for us to fully understand the intentions of the United States of America,” he said.

According to the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, Russia and the US are the world’s leading nuclear powers, with the former holding about 5,459 nuclear warheads and the latter about 5,177 nuclear warheads.