Russia warns it may resume nuclear tests if US does first

The Kremlin has declared that Russia will maintain its moratorium on nuclear weapons testing but warned it would resume such tests if the United States breaks the three-decade-long international pause. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasized that Moscow remains committed to the testing ban but would be compelled to respond to maintain strategic parity with other nuclear powers.

Conditional Testing Policy

Peskov stated that "if another country does this, then we will be obliged to do so in order to maintain parity," describing nuclear parity as "perhaps the most important component of the global security architecture of our time." The comments came in response to President Trump's October 31 announcement directing the Pentagon to immediately begin nuclear weapons testing, which would end a US moratorium in effect since 1992. Russia last conducted nuclear tests in 1990 during the Soviet era.

Clarification on Weapons Development

The Kremlin spokesman denied that President Vladimir Putin had ordered preparations for nuclear tests, explaining that Russia must first determine whether such tests are necessary and that any decision "must be well-founded and carefully considered." Peskov also distinguished between nuclear explosions and recent Russian testing of nuclear-powered delivery systems like the Burevestnik missile and Poseidon underwater vehicle, calling such classifications "extremely superficial and incorrect judgment" from an expert perspective.

International Reactions and Next Steps

China has responded to Trump's statements by urging the US to uphold the testing moratorium, while Russian officials seek clarification from Washington about its nuclear testing intentions. Peskov described the issue as "too serious" to remain unclear, indicating that Moscow requires definitive information about American plans before determining its own course of action regarding nuclear testing resumption.