Journalism of Courage
Russia has urged the United States to clarify what it described as “contradictory signals” about a possible return to nuclear weapons testing, warning that such a move would provoke reciprocal measures from Moscow and other nuclear powers.
The call for clarity came after President Donald Trump ordered the US military last week to “immediately restart the process” for nuclear weapons testing — though it remains unclear whether he meant flight-testing of nuclear-capable missiles or a full-scale resumption of explosive nuclear tests, which both Washington and Moscow halted more than 30 years ago.
“If it is the latter, then this will create negative dynamics and trigger steps from other states, including Russia, in response,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, was quoted as saying, by Reuters.
She said the “confusing and alarming” messages coming from Washington were causing “justified concern across the world.”
“For now, we note that the signals emanating from Washington, which are causing justified concern in all corners of the world, remain contradictory, and, of course, the real state of affairs must be clarified,” she said.
Amid the uncertainty, President Vladimir Putin also instructed his top security and defense officials to draw up proposals for a potential Russian nuclear test should the US proceed with its own.
Security experts warn that any return to nuclear testing by a major power could severely destabilise the global arms control framework and escalate tensions, particularly amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. Both Russia and the US still control the world’s two largest nuclear arsenals.
The last remaining arms control agreement between them — which caps the number of deployed strategic nuclear warheads — is set to expire in three months. Putin has proposed that both nations continue to observe the treaty’s limits for another year, but the Trump administration has yet to issue a formal response, leaving the future of nuclear restraint increasingly uncertain.
