US President Donald Trump appeared to suggest 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.
The Kremlin pointed out that a global ban on nuclear tests has remained in place, but warned that if any country resumes nuclear testing Russia would follow suit.
There was no indication the US would start detonating warheads, but Trump offered few details about what seemed to be a significant shift in US policy.
Trump talks nuclear weapons policy U-turn as tensions ramp up - watch on TVNZ+
He made the announcement on social media minutes before he met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Friday in South Korea to discuss trade. He offered little clarity when he spoke to reporters later aboard Air Force One as he flew back to Washington.
The US military already regularly tests its missiles that are capable of delivering a nuclear warhead, 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.
Trump suggested, however, that changes were necessary because other countries were testing weapons. It was unclear what he was referring to, but it evoked Cold War-era escalations.
"Because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis," he said in a post on his Truth Social site. "That process will begin immediately."
The US President discussed the outcome of the meeting, which he described as a 12 on a scale of one to 10, with "an outstanding group of decisions made". (Source: Breakfast)
Kremlin warns that Russia will respond in kind if nuclear tests are resumed
Asked about Trump's comments, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reaffirmed an earlier warning from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said Moscow would resume nuclear tests if others do so first.
"If someone abandons the moratorium, Russia will act accordingly," Peskov said in a call with reporters.
The White House did not immediately respond to questions seeking more details.
When Trump spoke to reporters later, he appeared to be conflating the testing of missiles that deliver a nuclear warhead with the testing of the warheads.
Other countries, he said, "seem to all be nuclear testing" but when it comes to the US, "We have more nuclear weapons than anybody. We don’t do testing."
"I see them testing and I say, well, if they’re going to test, I guess we have to test," Trump said as he continued speaking to reporters.
Trump was asked where the tests would occur and he said, "It’ll be announced. We have test sites."
Pentagon officials didn’t immediately respond to questions about the announcement from Trump on the nuclear missile tests.
Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey, a Democrat who co-chairs the congressional Nuclear Weapons and Arms Control Working Group, said the US "must not resume" nuclear tests.
"This is a reckless decision that will only make us less safe and lead to a new nuclear arms race," Markey said in a post on X.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday assailed Trump's announcement, saying in a statement that "current nuclear risks are already alarmingly high."
"We must never forget the disastrous legacy of over 2000 nuclear weapons tests carried out over the last 80 years," Guterres said, according to his deputy spokesperson, Farhan Haqq. "Nuclear testing can never be permitted under any circumstances."
Russia tests of new nuclear-powered weapons
Putin this week announced that Russia tested a new atomic-powered and nuclear-capable underwater drone and a new nuclear-powered cruise missile. Putin did not announce any tests of Russia's nuclear weapons, however, which last occurred in 1990.
Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, emphasized that Russia’s recent tests of the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile and the Poseidon nuclear-powered underwater drone had nothing to do with the global ban on testing nuclear warheads.
"Regarding the tests of the Burevestnik and the Poseidon, we hope that President Trump was correctly informed about it," Peskov said. "There is no way it can be interpreted as nuclear testing."
Trump did not specifically mention the Russian tests in his post, but alluded to the nuclear stockpiles controlled by both Xi and Putin, saying, "Russia is second, and China is a distant third, but will be even within 5 years."
Putin in 2023 signed a bill revoking Russia's ratification of a global nuclear test ban, which Moscow said was needed to put Russia on par with the US. The global test ban was signed by President Bill Clinton but never ratified by the Senate.
Earlier this year, Trump signalled he wanted to push his Russian and Chinese counterparts in the other direction, saying he wanted to resume nuclear arms control talks with both countries.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson called on the US to refrain from carrying out nuclear tests.
"China hopes the US will earnestly fulfil its obligations under the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and honour its commitment to suspend nuclear testing," Guo Jiakun said at a briefing in Beijing.
Despite his announcement that sounded like an escalation, Trump told reporters that he would like to see a "denuclearisation" and "de-escalation."
"We are actually talking to Russia about that," Trump said, though he did not elaborate.
Arms control advocates worried
Daryl Kimball, the executive director of the Washington-based Arms Control Association, quickly criticised the president's announcement and said Trump was "misinformed and out of touch."
Kimball, in social media posts, said the US has no reason to resume nuclear explosive testing and it would take at least 36 months to resume testing at the former test site in Nevada, where the last detonations occurred underground.
"By foolishly announcing his intention to resume nuclear testing, Trump will trigger strong public opposition in Nevada, from all US allies, and it could trigger a chain reaction of nuclear testing by US adversaries, and blow apart the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty," Kimball said in a post on X.
Japanese survivors of the US atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II condemned Trump’s announcement.
"The act vehemently opposes all countries that are endeavouring to achieve a nuclear-free and peaceful world and absolutely cannot be tolerated," said Jiro Hamasumi, secretary general of Nihon Hidankyo, a survivors organisation that won the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize.
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