President Vladimir Putin did not order the nuclear test and Russia remains committed to a moratorium on testing the weapon of mass destruction, Moscow reiterated on Sunday, days after US President Donald Trump’s announcement on nuclear weapons tests.
“Putin has repeatedly said that Russia abides by its nuclear test ban commitments and we will not carry them out, but if another country does, we will have to do it to maintain parity,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian television.
“However, if Washington actually conducts nuclear weapons tests, Russia will have to retaliate. Nuclear parity is precisely the most important component, probably for the entire global security architecture today,” Peskov emphasized.
US President Donald Trump said in an Oct. 29 Truth Social post that he has “directed the War Department to begin testing our nuclear weapons on the same basis.”
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“The United States has more nuclear weapons than any other country. This was accomplished, including a complete update and renovation of existing weapons, during my first term. I HATED it because of the tremendous destructive power, but I had no choice! Russia is second and China is a distant third, but it will be even within 5 years,” Trump said.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, meanwhile, said in an interview published by RIA Novosti on Sunday that Moscow was waiting for a response from Washington as he commented on President Putin’s proposal that the US continue to observe a quantitative freeze on strategic weapons when START-III expires next February.
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“The constructive initiative presented by Russian President Vladimir Putin in the post-New START sphere speaks for itself. It is free of any hidden agenda and is extremely easy to understand. Its practical implementation will not require any special additional efforts. Therefore, we do not see the need for an in-depth discussion of our idea,” Lavrov said.
He said there had been no substantive response from Washington so far.
“We were told through the diplomatic channel that the matter is being considered. We are not trying to convince anyone. We believe that our step is in the interest of both sides and the entire international community. We are ready for any development. However, we hope that the result will be positive,” Lavrov said.
The United States and Russia entered into the Strategic New Arms Reduction Treaty (START) in 2010. New START entered into force in 2011, and by February 2018 each side had to reduce its strategic forces to a maximum of 1,550 deployed warheads on no more than 700 deployed strategic missiles and bombers.
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In 2018, it was extended to five years, but due to the war in Ukraine and sanctions, verification could not be carried out. Both sides agreed to voluntarily abide by the agreed limits on their weapons for one more year.
In September, Putin offered to extend the voluntary moratorium for another year from February 2025.
In recent weeks, Russia has conducted tests of the nuclear-powered Burevestnik cruise missile and the unlimited-range Poseidon underwater drone, raising concerns in Washington. The US conducted a test of its deadly Minuteman III ICBM without a nuclear payload.
Russian defense commentator Mikhail Chodoryonk stressed that the nuclear-powered Burevestnik cruise missile and the Poseidon nuclear-powered missile are weapons platforms and their test is not a “nuclear test”.
Moscow last conducted nuclear tests in 1990 and Washington in 1992. Since then, they have maintained a moratorium on “hot” nuclear tests.
