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Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that U.S. President Donald Trump’s comments on the possible resumption of nuclear testing, together with Russia’s recent display of advanced weaponry, do not mean the two countries have reentered an arms race.
Speaking at a press briefing in Moscow, Peskov said recent military developments do not indicate a stalemate in ongoing Russian-U.S. dialogue.
“The U.S. is a sovereign nation entitled to take independent decisions. However, let me remind you of President (Vladimir) Putin’s repeated assertions — should anyone break the moratorium, Russia will respond appropriately,” Peskov said when asked how Russia might react to potential U.S. nuclear testing.
He said that tests for Russia’s Burevestnik missile system cannot be classified as nuclear tests. Nuclear tests involve warheads with nuclear components, while the Burevestnik uses nuclear technology only in its propulsion system.
“If we’re discussing Burevestnik tests specifically, then these are clearly not nuclear tests in any sense. Every country works on enhancing its defensive capabilities, but that’s distinct from conducting actual nuclear tests,” he said.
Peskov added that Russia does not conduct nuclear weapons tests and has no intelligence indicating such activity elsewhere in the world.
“We hope that accurate information concerning our Burevestnik and Poseidon trials has been relayed to President Trump. These events must not be misinterpreted as nuclear tests under any circumstances,” he said.
He said Moscow has received no formal notice from Washington regarding plans to restart nuclear testing. The issue has surfaced at times in bilateral talks, though detailed technical discussions remain pending, Peskov added.
Earlier Thursday, Trump announced via his platform Truth Social that he had ordered the Department of Defense to begin immediate nuclear weapons testing. It was not immediately clear whether he meant testing nuclear warheads — last conducted by the United States in 1992 — or testing delivery systems capable of carrying atomic warheads.
Asked whether Putin planned to address the issue with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Peskov said no calls were currently scheduled.
The Kremlin also implied Thursday that it would test nuclear warheads if Trump ordered a live atomic test.
“If someone departs from the moratorium, Russia will act accordingly,” Peskov said.
Putin has repeatedly stated that if the United States resumes nuclear testing, Russia would follow suit.
In 1996, the two nations signed — but did not ratify — the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, which bans all atomic test blasts for military or civilian purposes.
Putin recently touted Russia’s new nuclear-powered systems, saying they could reach any continent and evade defenses.
Russia and the United States hold about 90% of the world’s nuclear arsenal — roughly 11,000 warheads — according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
Trump returned to the United States on Thursday after issuing his surprise directive, which immediately raised concerns of renewed superpower tensions.
The announcement came as he was entering a summit with Xi in South Korea and days after Russia said it had tested nuclear-capable, nuclear-powered cruise missiles and sea drones.
The statement from Trump, who frequently describes himself as a “peace” president, left key questions unanswered, including whether he meant live explosive testing or weapons system trials.
“Because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis,” Trump said on Truth Social. He also claimed the United States had more nuclear weapons than any other country and said he achieved that during his first term — a claim not supported by data.
SIPRI’s latest annual report says Russia has 5,489 nuclear warheads, compared to 5,177 for the United States and 600 for China. Trump also said China could “be even within 5 years.”
China urged the United States to “earnestly abide” by the global nuclear testing ban, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said nuclear testing “can never be permitted under any circumstances.”
The Kremlin questioned whether Trump had been accurately briefed, reiterating that recent Russian drills “cannot in any way be interpreted as a nuclear test.”
Both Russia and the United States observe a de facto moratorium on nuclear warhead testing but regularly conduct drills involving nuclear-capable systems.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said it had been “many years” since the United States conducted nuclear tests but claimed it was “appropriate” to begin again. He also repeated a previous claim that he supports negotiations on reducing nuclear weapons.
“Denuclearization would be a tremendous thing,” he said. “It’s something we are actually talking to Russia about, and China would be added to that if we do something.”
The United States conducted 1,054 nuclear tests between 1945 and 1992 and remains the only country to use nuclear weapons in combat. The last U.S. nuclear test was in September 1992 at the Nevada Nuclear Security Site. Then-President George H.W. Bush imposed a moratorium the following month that has been maintained since.
Live nuclear testing was replaced by subcritical experiments and advanced computer simulations.
Nevada Rep. Dina Titus said she would introduce legislation to stop any effort to resume explosive testing in the state. Sen. Jacky Rosen, also a Nevada Democrat, wrote on X that Trump’s remarks “directly contradict” previous assurances from Trump administration nominees that explosive testing was unnecessary and would not occur.
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