Putin Orders Nuclear Test Preparations After Trump’s U.S. Test Announcement

⚡ Short News Summary (60 words):

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered top officials to draft proposals for possible nuclear weapons tests — Russia’s first since 1991. The move comes after U.S. President Donald Trump instructed his administration to “immediately” resume testing. Analysts warn the decision could reignite a global nuclear arms race, sharply escalating tensions between the world’s two largest nuclear powers.

📜 Full Article:

Moscow, November 6 (The Eastern Times):
In a move that could reshape global security dynamics, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday instructed his top officials to draft proposals for a possible resumption of nuclear weapons testing, marking a potential end to Russia’s three-decade moratorium since the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991.

The directive came shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the United States would “immediately” resume nuclear weapons testing, ending a 33-year hiatus. The two nations, which possess nearly 90% of the world’s nuclear arsenal, now appear to be entering a dangerous new phase of competition reminiscent of the Cold War.

“I am instructing the Foreign Ministry, the Defence Ministry, the special services, and relevant civilian agencies to do everything possible to gather additional information, analyse it at the Security Council, and make agreed proposals on the possible start of work on preparing for nuclear weapons tests,” Putin said during a televised meeting of the Russian Security Council.

⚔️ Heightened Tensions and Geopolitical Fallout

Relations between Moscow and Washington have deteriorated sharply in recent weeks. Trump, reportedly frustrated with Russia’s lack of progress in ending the war in Ukraine, cancelled a planned summit with Putin in Hungary and imposed new sanctions on two Russian oil companies — the first such measures since returning to the White House in January.

At the Security Council meeting, Russian parliamentary speaker Vyacheslav Volodin asked how Moscow planned to respond to Trump’s decision — a question that prompted a series of visibly pre-planned statements by senior Russian officials. putin

Defence Minister Andrei Belousov warned that Washington’s recent actions made it “advisable to prepare for full-scale nuclear tests immediately,” adding that Russia’s Arctic testing site at Novaya Zemlya could host such tests “at short notice.” putin

General Valery Gerasimov, head of the Russian General Staff, echoed the urgency:

“If we do not take appropriate measures now, time and opportunities for a timely response to the actions of the United States will be lost,” he cautioned. putin

🧩 Analysts Warn of a New Arms Race

Experts fear that renewed nuclear testing by either superpower could trigger an international chain reaction.
“No one needs this, but we might get there regardless,” warned Andrey Baklitskiy, senior researcher at the U.N. Institute for Disarmament Research. “It’s the action-reaction cycle at its best — and worst.”

Since the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) opened for signatures in 1996, only India, Pakistan, and North Korea have conducted nuclear-explosive tests. North Korea was the last to do so in 2017.

Security analysts say that a resumption of nuclear testing by the U.S. or Russia could shatter decades of progress toward disarmament and increase environmental and geopolitical risks worldwide.

🧮 Nuclear Stockpile Comparison

According to the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation (CACNP), Russia currently possesses 5,459 nuclear warheads, with about 1,600 actively deployed.
The United States holds roughly 5,550 warheads, including 3,800 active ones.
By contrast, China — which has been rapidly expanding its arsenal — has an estimated 600 warheads, adding around 100 annually since 2023.

Other nuclear-armed countries include France, Britain, India, Pakistan, Israel, and North Korea.

🌍 Environmental and Global Security Concerns

The last time the U.S. conducted a nuclear test was in 1992, after then-President George H.W. Bush issued a moratorium following the Soviet Union’s collapse.
Cold War-era testing left behind vast environmental damage, particularly in regions like Nevada, Novaya Zemlya, and Semipalatinsk — damage experts fear could be repeated if testing resumes.

Despite Putin’s new directive, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there was no fixed timeline:

“It will take exactly as much time as needed to understand the intentions of the United States,” Peskov told TASS.

With both nations signaling readiness for nuclear tests, global powers — especially China, the EU, and India — are now watching closely as the world’s top two nuclear superpowers edge dangerously close to a new atomic era.

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