Putin has ordered his government to prepare proposals for resuming nuclear weapons testing in direct response to President Trump’s directive for U.S. nuclear testing, escalating global nuclear tensions to levels not seen since the Cold War.
Story Highlights
- Putin instructs the Russian government to develop nuclear testing proposals after Trump’s testing order.
- Russia threatens “reciprocal measures” if the U.S. conducts nuclear explosive tests.
- Trump claims Russia and China are secretly testing nuclear weapons despite expert denials.
- The U.S. has not conducted nuclear explosive tests since 1992, and Russia since 1990.
Putin Responds to Trump’s Nuclear Testing Directive
Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed his Security Council on Wednesday to submit proposals for potentially resuming nuclear weapons testing after President Trump ordered the Pentagon to conduct nuclear tests “on an equal basis” with other countries.
Putin stated that Russia has adhered to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty but warned that “if the United States or any other state party to the Treaty were to conduct such tests, Russia would be under an obligation to take reciprocal measures.” This marks a dangerous escalation in nuclear posturing between the world’s largest nuclear powers.
Putin orders officials to submit plans for possibly resuming nuclear tests after Trump’s remarks https://t.co/O5ne87mVMO pic.twitter.com/4BcbQGZ70e
— New York Post (@nypost) November 5, 2025
Trump’s Controversial Claims About Secret Testing
President Trump told CBS News that Russia, China, North Korea, and Pakistan are conducting nuclear weapons tests, justifying his directive by stating, “We’re gonna test, because they test and others test.”
However, Trump’s own nominee to lead STRATCOM testified to Congress that neither China nor Russia is conducting nuclear explosive tests. China immediately denied Trump’s accusations, and Pakistan stated it “will not be the first to resume nuclear tests.” The last confirmed U.S. nuclear test explosion occurred in 1992, while Russia’s was in 1990.
Russian Nuclear Doctrine Changes Raise Stakes
Putin previously revoked Russia’s ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty in 2023 and lowered the threshold for nuclear weapon use in his updated doctrine.
The revised doctrine treats attacks by non-nuclear states backed by nuclear powers as joint attacks, theoretically allowing Russia to consider conventional strikes by Ukraine as grounds for a nuclear response due to U.S. backing.
Deputy Security Council Chairman Dmitry Medvedev warned that Russia will be “forced to assess the expediency of conducting full-fledged nuclear tests itself” regardless of Trump’s unclear intentions.
Energy Secretary Attempts Damage Control
Energy Secretary Chris Wright attempted to clarify Trump’s testing directive on Fox News, suggesting the president meant “system tests” rather than nuclear explosions. Wright described these as “non-critical explosions” that test weapon components without actual nuclear detonation.
However, the ambiguity in Trump’s statements has already triggered Putin’s response and raised concerns among nearly 180 nations that signed the test ban treaty. This diplomatic confusion demonstrates the critical importance of precise communication on nuclear matters that could destabilize global security.
