New Nuclear Arms Race Looms as Putin Responds to Trump's Testing Call

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Moscow would consider resuming nuclear weapons testing if the United States proceeds with its own tests, following recent comments by U.S. President Donald Trump calling for renewed nuclear activities.

The Russian leader made the remarks during a meeting of the national Security Council, which he convened after Trump’s statements urging the Pentagon to “start testing our nuclear weapons on an equal basis” with Russia and China. It remains unclear whether the U.S. president was referring to full-scale nuclear detonations or other forms of weapons testing.

Putin described the situation as a matter requiring close observation and instructed Russia’s defense and foreign ministries, along with the security services, to “gather information on this topic” and prepare “proposals on the possible start of preparation works for nuclear weapons tests.”

“Russia will act in accordance with its national security interests,” he said, adding that Moscow would not initiate testing unless Washington does so first.

The statement marks the latest escalation in nuclear rhetoric between the world’s two largest atomic powers. Both leaders have struggled to find common ground since Trump returned to the White House in January, pledging to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict but achieving little progress.

Talks between Washington and Moscow have repeatedly stalled, with Trump expressing growing frustration at Putin’s refusal to accept ceasefire proposals.

Russia has not conducted a nuclear test since 1990, the year before the collapse of the Soviet Union. The site used for testing during the Cold War era was primarily the Novaya Zemlya archipelago in the Arctic.

During the Security Council meeting, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov proposed “beginning immediate preparations” for possible nuclear tests at that same location. Putin did not confirm the start of any preparations but reiterated that Moscow would mirror any U.S. actions.

In October, Putin oversaw two launches of nuclear-capable missiles, though both tests excluded the use of nuclear warheads.

If Russia were to resume testing, it would mark the first such action since the end of the Cold War and a serious breach of the global moratorium that has held for decades. Apart from North Korea, no country has conducted a nuclear explosion test in the 21st century.

The prospect of renewed testing by the United States or Russia would likely trigger significant international concern, potentially undermining the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) and fueling a new era of nuclear competition between major powers.

For now, Putin’s remarks appear intended as a direct response to Trump’s comments, signaling a readiness to escalate only if Washington does. But the renewed exchange underscores how fragile global nuclear restraint has become amid rising geopolitical tensions and the unresolved war in Ukraine.