Russia is prepared to resume nuclear weapons testing if the United States proceeds with its own tests, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov warned on Thursday, following U.S. President Donald Trump’s order for the American military to immediately restart nuclear weapons testing.
“I would like to recall President Putin’s statements, which we have repeated many times: if anyone withdraws from the moratorium, Russia will act accordingly,” said Peskov.
“President Trump mentioned in his statement that other countries are testing nuclear weapons. Until now, we were unaware that any were doing so.”
According to Peskov, Russia had not been informed in advance about Washington’s shift in policy regarding nuclear tests.
He clarified that Russia’s recent tests of the Burevestnik nuclear-powered missile on October 21 and the Poseidon nuclear-powered underwater drone on October 28 were not nuclear weapons tests.
Meanwhile, President Trump urged U.S. military leaders to restart nuclear testing to “keep pace” with nations like Russia and China.
“Due to the testing programs of other countries, I have directed the Department of War to begin testing our nuclear weapons on an equal basis with them,” Trump wrote on social media, just before his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea.
