Trump: Nuclear Tests Will Resume Soon

According to Rokna, U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that Washington will soon commence nuclear testing. Although Russia and China have not conducted nuclear weapons tests in recent years, Trump said that the United States will conduct nuclear tests “like other countries” and that these tests will begin “very soon.”

In response to a reporter’s question on whether the upcoming tests would include the detonation of a nuclear warhead, Trump said: “I don’t want to give you details about that.”
He added: “We have more nuclear weapons than any other country.”

Trump ranked Russia second and China “at a distance in third place” and warned that China would “catch up to the United States within four or five years.”

However, Trump stated that he favors “denuclearization” and that an agreement between the “three major powers,” including Russia and China, may be achievable. He described such an agreement as “the best possible outcome” and said it could contribute to global peace.

These remarks come as the United States has not conducted a full-scale nuclear test since 1992. His statements could increase diplomatic tensions with Russia and China, especially at a time when nuclear arms control negotiations are ongoing. The White House has yet to confirm official details regarding the timing or nature of possible tests.

A few weeks earlier, Trump had also raised the idea of U.S. nuclear weapons testing. In response to Trump’s remarks, Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed his senior officials last week to draft proposals for the potential resumption of nuclear weapons tests.

In September 1996, the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), which obliges states not to conduct “any nuclear weapon test explosion or any other nuclear explosion,” was opened for signature. The United States, Russia, and China all signed the treaty immediately after its conclusion, but none have ratified it in their respective legislatures. Nevertheless, all three nuclear powers have adhered to its provisions until now.

The only known nuclear tests conducted worldwide since 1996 include two tests by India in 1998, two by Pakistan in 1998, and six by North Korea from 2006 to 2017 — none of which are signatories to the CTBT.

Trump’s statements calling for the resumption of U.S. nuclear testing have raised concerns about the beginning of a new nuclear arms race and its potentially devastating consequences for global populations.