Putin tells officials to submit plans for possibly resuming nuclear
tests after Trump's remarks
[November 06, 2025]
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered
officials on Wednesday to submit proposals for a possible resumption of
nuclear tests in response to President Donald Trump’s statements last
week that appeared to suggest the U.S. will restart its own atomic
tests.
Speaking at a meeting with his Security Council, Putin reaffirmed his
earlier statement that Moscow will only restart nuclear tests if the
U.S. does so first. But he directed the defense and foreign ministries
and other government agencies to analyze Washington’s intentions and
work out proposals for resuming nuclear weapons tests.
On Oct. 30, Trump appeared to signal that the U.S. will resume testing
nuclear weapons for the first time in three decades, saying it would be
on an “equal basis” with Russia and China.
But U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Sunday that new tests of the
U.S. nuclear weapons system ordered by Trump will not include nuclear
explosions.
Trump made the announcement on social media while in South Korea, days
after Putin announced successful tests of the prospective
nuclear-powered and nuclear capable cruise missile and underwater drone.
Putin's praise for the new weapons that he claimed can't be intercepted
appears to be another message to Trump that Russia is standing firm in
its maximalist demands on settling the conflict in Ukraine.
The U.S. military also has regularly tested nuclear-capable weapons, but
it has not detonated atomic weapons since 1992. The Comprehensive
Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, which the U.S. signed but did not ratify, has
been observed since its adoption by all countries possessing nuclear
weapons, North Korea being the only exception.
Putin in 2023 signed a bill revoking Russia's ratification of a global
nuclear test ban, which Moscow said was needed to put it on par with the
U.S. The global test ban was signed by President Bill Clinton but never
ratified by the U.S. Senate.
During Wednesday's Security Council meeting, Defense Minister Andrei
Belousov reported to Putin about U.S. efforts to modernize its atomic
arsenals, arguing that along with a possible resumption of nuclear tests
by Washington they “significantly increase the level of military threats
to Russia.”
Belousov suggested that Moscow immediately start preparations for
nuclear tests on the Arctic Novaya Zemlya archipelago. He added that the
site, where the Soviet Union last tested a nuclear weapon in 1990, was
ready for quickly resuming the explosions.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of
the Security Council in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025. (Gavriil
Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Gen. Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the military's General Staff,
also vouched for quickly starting preparations for tests.
“If we don't take appropriate measures now, we will miss the time
and opportunity to respond promptly to the U.S. actions, as it takes
from several months to several years to prepare for nuclear tests,
depending on their type,” Gerasimov said.
After hearing from military leaders and other top officials, who
noted the conflicting signals from Washington on whether the U.S.
will restart nuclear explosions, Putin ordered government agencies
to “gather additional information on the issue, analyze it within
the framework of the Security Council and submit coordinated
proposals on the possible start of work on preparations for nuclear
weapons tests.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasized that Putin didn't order a
start to preparations for nuclear tests and for now only told
officials to analyze whether it's necessary to begin such work. He
said in remarks carried by the state Tass news agency that Moscow
needs to fully understand U.S. intentions before making further
decisions.
Later, Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of the Security Council
chaired by Putin, said the Russians have no choice but to treat
Trump's comments seriously.
“No one knows what Trump meant about ‘nuclear testing’ (he probably
doesn’t himself),” Medvedev posted on X. “But he’s the president of
the United States. And the consequences of such words are
inescapable: Russia will be forced to assess the expediency of
conducting full-fledged nuclear tests itself.”
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