Ready for disarmament

Trump’s nuclear weapons hammer: quiet tones from the Kremlin

A nuclear weapons test in 1955 on what is now known as the Nevada National Security Site.(Bild: APA/AP)

US President Donald Trump has announced that he wants to carry out nuclear weapons tests again "without delay". However, this will probably not be possible so quickly - according to one estimate, this undertaking could only be feasible in a few years' time. Moscow, meanwhile, is playing it cool: There has been a misunderstanding ... 

The last US nuclear weapons test took place in 1992 - then a voluntary moratorium was imposed on such tests. However, a resumption of tests will not happen overnight: according to a report by the Congressional Research Service in August, it could take 24 to 36 months before the USA is able to test nuclear weapons again.

Russia denies recent nuclear weapons tests
Trump's announcement has nevertheless caused an enormous response. According to Russian agencies, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that Russia hoped that Trump had been correctly informed about the latest Russian weapons tests of the "Burevestnik" missile and the Poseidon underwater drone. These were not nuclear weapons tests, he emphasized.

A nuclear weapons test in 1955 on the site now known as the Nevada National Security Site.(Bild: APA/AP)

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov with Russian President Vladimir Putin(Bild: EPA/GRIGORY SYSOEV /SPUTNIK/KREMLIN POOL)

Kremlin emphasizes that US weapons tests are legitimate
"Until now, we were not aware that anyone was conducting tests. And if this somehow refers to the test of the 'Burevestnik', then it is definitely not a nuclear test. All countries continue to develop their defense systems, but these are not nuclear tests," Peskov clarified. At the same time, he said that the USA, as a sovereign state, had the right to conduct such tests. He recalled Putin's earlier warnings that Russia would then act as an equal.

Russia was also prepared to enter into nuclear disarmament negotiations, Peskov added. However, no response had yet been received from Trump to his proposals. Putin had withdrawn Russia's ratification of the ban on nuclear weapons tests by law in 2023. Since then, he has referred to the fundamental possibility of resuming these tests. However, despite its withdrawal from the international nuclear test ban treaty, the country continues to cooperate in the global monitoring of the pact.

Russia and the USA possess 90 percent of the nuclear arsenal
Most nuclear warheads are in the possession of the USA and Russia - according to the Union of Concerned Scientists, the two countries have 90 percent of the world's nuclear arsenal. According to the organization, Russia possesses around 6,000 warheads, of which 1584 are operational. 

Trump revealed his plans shortly before meeting with China's President Xi Jinping.(Bild: AP/Susan Walsh)

China currently has a relatively small arsenal of nuclear weapons, estimated by researchers and the Pentagon to be around 400 to 500 warheads. The Middle Kingdom is keeping quiet about the exact number - presumably because it only possesses a fraction of the number of the USA and Russia. However, according to the Pentagon, China is rapidly expanding its nuclear arsenal. By the end of the decade, it could already have over 1000 nuclear warheads. 

The timing of Trump's announcement is interesting. Asked by a reporter on Thursday evening why he had decided to announce these plans shortly before his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump replied: "It had to do with other things."

"It seems to be all about nuclear testing," Trump said from Air Force One. "We stopped testing many years ago, but since other countries are testing, I think it's appropriate that we do too."

More nuclear weapons tests feared worldwide
"If by testing he means nuclear weapons testing, that would be reckless," Hans Kristensen, Director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists, commented on the development to CNN. Such tests would "probably not be possible in the next 18 months and would cost money that Congress would have to approve".

The expert warned that this measure would "almost certainly" encourage countries such as Russia, China, India and Pakistan to resume their own tests. "Unlike the United States, all of these countries would have a lot to gain by resuming nuclear testing," Kristinasen continued. 

Trump, who likes to present himself as a "peacemaker", is likely to move further away from his beloved Nobel Peace Prize. According to the state news agency RIA, a high-ranking Russian MP said that the decision heralds a new era of unpredictability and open confrontation. The USA last tested a nuclear weapon in 1992, Russia in 1990 and China in 1996.