huffingtonpost - 18 days ago

Donald Trump and Vladimir PutinDonald Trump has called for the US to resume nuclear testing for the first time in more than three decades, leaving even Russian officials a little bewildered.The US president declared on Thursday that he ordered the US military to immediately resume testing nuclear weapons after 33 years.He made the surprising announcement moments before his meeting with Chinese president Xi Jinping, and claimed it was because of “other countries’ testing programmes”.Trump insisted this would mean the US would start testing on “an equal basis”. It’s not entirely clear which nations the president was referring to, but the declaration came days after he criticised Moscow for testing its latest missiles.The US has not tested its nuclear weaponry since 1992 while China last tested in 1996.Post-Soviet Russia has not tested a nuclear weapon at all – despite plenty of nuclear sabre-rattling from Vladimir Putin – although the Soviet Union last tested its arsenal back in 1990.The Kremlin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov said: “President Trump mentioned in his statement that other countries are engaged in testing nuclear weapons.“Until now, we didn’t know that anyone was testing.”He said Russia had received no warning from the US about a change of Washington’s position on nuclear testing.But, asked if Russia felt a new nuclear arms race has been triggered by Trump’s comments, he said: “Not really.”Russia tested its Burevestnik cruise missile on October 21, and the Posseidon nuclear-powered super torpedo on a week later – but the Kremlin spokesperson insisted these were not nuclear weapons tests.Even so, Trump described these tests as “not appropriate” earlier this week, calling on Putin to focus on ending the war in Ukraine instead.The US president also reminded reporters that the States has a nuclear submarine “right off their shores”, referring to Russia.He insisted it therefore might not need to travel such distances, adding: “We test missiles all the time.”Putin currently controls the world’s largest nuclear arsenal and has threatened to test its weaponry if any other country also does so. “I want to recall President Putin’s statement, which has been repeated many times: if someone departs from the moratorium, Russia will act accordingly,” Peskov said.Putin has repeatedly reminded the West of his nuclear capabilities to deter any of Ukraine’s allies from becoming directly involved in the war.And when Trump hinted the US could give Ukraine Tomahawk missiles earlier this month, Putin’s ally Dmitry Medvedev made a fresh nuclear threat.Related...Why Did Starmer Agree To A New Deal With Turkey Despite Concerns Over Russian Oil?Tensions Between US And Russia Deepen As Trump s Treasury Secretary Hits Out At Propagandist Envoy An Act Of War : Putin Ally Blasts Donald Trump Over Russian Oil Sanctions

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