Russian President Vladimir Putin has instructed his ministers and security officials to draft proposals for possible nuclear weapons tests, warning that Moscow will take “reciprocal measures” if the United States resumes testing after more than three decades.
The directive came days after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he had ordered the Department of Defense to “immediately” resume nuclear weapons testing, ending a moratorium in place since 1992.
Addressing Russia’s Security Council on Wednesday, Putin said that any nuclear testing by the U.S. or other signatories of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) would oblige Russia to respond in kind.
“In this regard, I instruct the Foreign Ministry, the Defence Ministry, the special services, and the corresponding civilian agencies to do everything possible to gather additional information on this matter and submit coordinated proposals on the possible first steps focusing on preparations for nuclear weapons tests,” Putin said, according to the Kremlin’s transcript.
Rising tensions between Washington and Moscow
Russia has not conducted a nuclear weapons test since the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991. However, recent weeks have seen a sharp rise in tensions between the world’s two largest nuclear powers.
Trump, frustrated with Moscow’s ongoing war in Ukraine, cancelled a planned summit with Putin in Hungary last month and imposed sanctions on two major Russian oil companies — the first such penalties since his return to office in January.
On October 30, Trump ordered the Pentagon to resume nuclear weapons testing on an “equal basis” with other nuclear powers, days after he criticized Moscow for testing its Burevestnik missile — a nuclear-powered cruise missile designed to carry a nuclear warhead.
Russia’s top brass warns of growing threat
During the Security Council meeting, Russia’s Defense Minister Andrei Belousov told Putin that the U.S. decision “significantly raises the level of military threat to Russia.” He emphasized that it was essential to maintain nuclear readiness at a level “sufficient to inflict unacceptable damage.”
Belousov also noted that Russia’s Arctic testing facility at Novaya Zemlya could be prepared to host nuclear tests at short notice if required.
General Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff, echoed the warning, cautioning that failure to act promptly could leave Russia unable to respond effectively to U.S. actions. “If we do not take appropriate measures now, time and opportunities for a timely response to the actions of the United States will be lost,” he said.
Following the meeting, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state news agency TASS that Putin had not set a specific deadline for the proposals. He added that the discussions were part of Moscow’s “defensive posture” in light of Washington’s recent decisions.
The renewed nuclear tension underscores the fragile state of global arms control, with both nations now signaling readiness to revisit testing that has been off-limits for over 30 years.
