Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday talking about nuclear tests said to be ready for any eventuality, a day after he instructed top officials to prepare proposals for a possible nuclear weapons test – a step Moscow has avoided since the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991 – while signalling that Russia remains open to discussing strategic stability with the United States, according to Reuters.Putin issued the directive at a security council meeting after questions from parliamentary speaker Vyacheslav Volodin on how Moscow should respond to US President Donald Trump’s recent announcement that Washington would resume nuclear testing for the first time in 33 years.“We should be prepared for any developments,” Putin said, adding that Russia was “ready to discuss strategic stability with the United States.”He told the foreign ministry, defence ministry, security agencies and civilian agencies to gather information, analyse US intentions and present “agreed proposals on the possible start of work on the preparation of nuclear weapons tests.”
Officials urge swift response to US plans
Senior Russian officials used the meeting to advocate immediate preparations. Defence minister Andrei Belousov said recent US actions meant it was “advisable to prepare for full-scale nuclear tests” right away, noting that Russia’s Novaya Zemlya test site could host trials at short notice. General Valery Gerasimov warned that failing to prepare now could leave Moscow without options, saying the time required for nuclear test preparations could range “from several months to several years,” according to Reuters.Security analysts told Reuters that any resumption of nuclear explosives testing by a major power could trigger a destabilising chain reaction among other nuclear-armed states.
US relations deteriorate; no deadline for proposals
The escalation comes as Russia–US ties hit a new low. Reuters reported that Trump cancelled a planned summit with Putin and imposed sanctions amid frustration over stalled efforts to end the war in Ukraine.While Putin on Thurday said, Moscow would end its Ukraine offensive if Kyiv withdrew from territory Moscow claims at its own – otherwise they would take it by force.”If Ukrainian forces leave the territories they hold, then we will stop combat operations,” Putin said during a visit to Kyrgyzstan. “If they don’t, then we will achieve it by military means.”Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin had set no deadline for the drafting of proposals, stressing that Russia needed time to fully understand US intentions. Trump has yet to clarify whether the US resumption involves explosive testing or missile flight-testing.
Nuclear backdrop
Russia last month tested its nuclear-powered Burevestnik cruise missile and conducted nuclear launch drills, including tests of the Poseidon nuclear-powered super-torpedo, Reuters added. Such delivery-system tests do not involve nuclear detonations.
