Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Moscow may consider resuming nuclear weapons testing if the United States takes similar action, raising new concerns about global nuclear stability.
Putin made the remarks on Wednesday while addressing Russia’s Security Council, following recent comments by U.S. President Donald Trump suggesting that Washington might revive nuclear testing to ensure the reliability of its arsenal.
“We will not take the first step,” Putin stated. “But if the United States resumes nuclear tests, we will be forced to mirror their actions to safeguard our national security.”
The Russian leader noted that while Russia remains committed to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), it will not allow “strategic imbalance” or “nuclear blackmail.” He added that Moscow’s defense agencies have been instructed to prepare “technical readiness measures” in case a return to testing becomes necessary.
The potential escalation comes amid already strained relations between the two nuclear powers, following Washington’s withdrawal from several key arms control agreements in recent years. Analysts say renewed testing by either side could undermine decades of efforts to prevent a global nuclear arms race.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov later told reporters that Russia’s position remains defensive and reactive. “Our actions will strictly depend on the steps taken by the United States,” he said.
The CTBT, adopted by the UN in 1996, bans all nuclear explosions, but it has never entered into full legal force because key nations, including the U.S. and China, have not ratified it.
International observers have urged both Moscow and Washington to exercise restraint, warning that even the suggestion of renewed testing could erode global confidence in nuclear disarmament efforts and trigger heightened geopolitical tensions.
