US President Donald Trump has ordered the Pentagon to begin matching Russia and China's levels of nuclear testing, a move that could escalate tensions between the two nations. In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump stated that he had instructed the Department of War to start testing its own nuclear weapons "on an equal basis," sparking concerns about the potential for increased military activity.
The announcement comes as Trump met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea earlier this week, where they discussed trade and potential truces over ongoing tensions. The meeting was a rare encounter between the two leaders since 2019.
Trump's reference to "on an equal basis" left unclear what specific actions he intended for the Pentagon to take or whether it was meant as a display of power similar to that recently conducted by Russia. It is worth noting, however, that no other country has conducted a full nuclear test since North Korea in 1998.
In contrast, the US and its allies have carried out various types of nuclear tests, including simulations and related physics experiments, warhead mechanisms tests, and "subcritical" tests to ensure their arsenals remain viable. Pentagon officials did not immediately respond to questions about Trump's announcement.
Speaking on Air Force One after his meeting with Xi, Trump expressed support for denuclearization and stated that the US was in talks with Russia about it. He also hinted at potentially adding China to those discussions if progress is made.
China's foreign ministry responded by urging the US to honor non-proliferation treaties and avoid actions that could destabilize regional peace. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin recently announced a successful test of its "unique" nuclear-propelled Burevestnik cruise missile, sparking concerns about Moscow's intentions.
The developments come as tensions between Russia and the West remain high, particularly over Ukraine. Despite repeated statements from both sides about wanting to halt the arms race, little progress has been made.
In response to Trump's announcement, US Congresswoman Dina Titus pledged to introduce legislation aimed at stopping any potential nuclear tests in Nevada.
The announcement comes as Trump met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea earlier this week, where they discussed trade and potential truces over ongoing tensions. The meeting was a rare encounter between the two leaders since 2019.
Trump's reference to "on an equal basis" left unclear what specific actions he intended for the Pentagon to take or whether it was meant as a display of power similar to that recently conducted by Russia. It is worth noting, however, that no other country has conducted a full nuclear test since North Korea in 1998.
In contrast, the US and its allies have carried out various types of nuclear tests, including simulations and related physics experiments, warhead mechanisms tests, and "subcritical" tests to ensure their arsenals remain viable. Pentagon officials did not immediately respond to questions about Trump's announcement.
Speaking on Air Force One after his meeting with Xi, Trump expressed support for denuclearization and stated that the US was in talks with Russia about it. He also hinted at potentially adding China to those discussions if progress is made.
China's foreign ministry responded by urging the US to honor non-proliferation treaties and avoid actions that could destabilize regional peace. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin recently announced a successful test of its "unique" nuclear-propelled Burevestnik cruise missile, sparking concerns about Moscow's intentions.
The developments come as tensions between Russia and the West remain high, particularly over Ukraine. Despite repeated statements from both sides about wanting to halt the arms race, little progress has been made.
In response to Trump's announcement, US Congresswoman Dina Titus pledged to introduce legislation aimed at stopping any potential nuclear tests in Nevada.
... just wow! Can't believe what's going on with the US and Russia now! They're talking about matching each other's nuke levels? That's like playing a super dangerous game of chicken on steroids 
. I'm all for denuclearization, but this is just crazy talk 
. What's next? We'll be testing our nuclear missiles in Vegas? 
Not cool, Trump!
this is getting crazy i mean trump says we gotta match russia and china on nukes but no one else is doing that lol what if we get caught in the middle of a nuke war and can't even afford our own defense 
meanwhile xi jinping just chillin with trump and xi's all like "hey dude let's talk trade" 
and then trump goes and makes this announcement out of nowhere who's next china or russia gonna start testing their nukes lol i don't know what to think about this it feels like the whole world is holding its breath waiting for someone to make a move 
Just heard that Russia just tested a new nuclear cruise missile 
... meanwhile, China's economy is still struggling and Ukraine is still stuck in the conflict 
... what's the US gonna do about it? 
Trump wants to match Russia & China on nuclear testing? 
Not sure if anyone's thinking about the consequences of this...
we need to calm down and focus on actual solutions to these problems, not escalating the situation even more 
i mean, i get it, security is important, but are we really going to go nuclear over this? 
I'm not sure if it's a power move or just plain reckless but either way it's got me super worried 
at least he's talking to xi about it tho, maybe that can lead to some progress 
i mean, wouldn't it be better to focus on actual diplomatic efforts instead of trying to one-up each other with nuclear tests? 
what does trump think is going to happen if we just start testing our nukes left and right? is he really that confident in his strategy?