BUSAN, South Korea (AP) \u2014 President Donald Trump appeared to suggest the U.S. will resume testing nuclear weapons for the first time in three decades, saying it would be on an \u201cequal basis\u201d with Russia and China.<\/p>\n
The Kremlin pointed out that a global ban on nuclear tests has remained in place, but warned that if any country resumes nuclear testing, Russia would follow suit. <\/p>\n
There was no indication the U.S. would start detonating warheads, but Trump offered few details about what seemed to be a significant shift in U.S. policy.<\/p>\n
He made the announcement on social media minutes before he met with Chinese leader<\/a> Xi Jinping on Thursday in South Korea to discuss trade. He offered little clarity when he spoke to reporters later aboard Air Force One as he flew back to Washington.<\/p>\n The U.S. military already regularly tests its missiles that are capable of delivering a nuclear warhead, but it has not detonated the weapons since 1992. The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, which the U.S. signed but did not ratify, has been observed since its adoption by all countries possessing nuclear weapons, North Korea being the only exception.<\/p>\n Trump suggested, however, that changes were necessary because other countries were testing weapons. It was unclear what he was referring to, but it evoked Cold War-era escalations. <\/p>\n \u201cBecause of other countries\u2019 testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis,\u201d he said in a post on his Truth Social site. \u201cThat process will begin immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n Kremlin warns that Russia will respond in kind if nuclear tests are resumed<\/p>\n Asked about Trump\u2019s comments, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reaffirmed an earlier warning from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said Moscow would resume nuclear tests if others do so first.<\/p>\n \u201cIf someone abandons the moratorium, Russia will act accordingly,\u201d Peskov said in a call with reporters.<\/p>\n The White House did not immediately respond to questions seeking more details. <\/p>\n When Trump spoke to reporters later, he appeared to be conflating the testing of missiles that deliver a nuclear warhead with the testing of the warheads.<\/p>\n Other countries, he said, \u201cseem to all be nuclear testing,\u201d but when it comes to the U.S., \u201cWe have more nuclear weapons than anybody. We don\u2019t do testing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI see them testing and I say, well, if they\u2019re going to test, I guess we have to test,\u201d Trump said as he continued speaking to reporters.<\/p>\n Trump was asked where the tests would occur and he said, \u201cIt\u2019ll be announced. We have test sites.\u201d<\/p>\n Pentagon officials didn\u2019t immediately respond to questions about the announcement from Trump on the nuclear missile tests.<\/p>\n Vice Admiral Richard Correll, Trump\u2019s nominee to lead the military command in charge of the nation\u2019s nuclear arsenal, was pressed by U.S. senators at his confirmation hearing Thursday to try to interpret the president\u2019s comments. <\/p>\n \u201cI wouldn\u2019t presume that the president\u2019s words meant nuclear testing,\u201d Correll said. <\/p>\n \u201cWell, that\u2019s what he said,\u201d Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, said.<\/p>\n Correll pointed out that neither China nor Russia has conducted a nuclear explosive test, but then said, \u201cI\u2019m not reading anything into it or reading anything out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n Independent Sen. Angus King of Maine later questioned whether Trump might have meant the testing of the weapons delivery systems, such as missiles, not the weapons themselves. <\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t have insight into the president\u2019s intent,\u201d Correll said. \u201cI agree that that could be an interpretation.\u201d<\/p>\n U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday assailed Trump\u2019s announcement, saying in a statement that \u201ccurrent nuclear risks are already alarmingly high.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cWe must never forget the disastrous legacy of over 2,000 nuclear weapons tests carried out over the last 80 years,\u201d Guterres said, according to his deputy spokesperson, Farhan Haqq. <\/p>\n Russia tests of new nuclear-powered weapons <\/p>\n Putin this week announced that Russia tested a new atomic-powered<\/a> and nuclear-capable underwater drone and a new nuclear-powered cruise missile.<\/a> Putin did not announce any tests of Russia\u2019s nuclear weapons, however, which last occurred in 1990.<\/p>\n Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, emphasized that Russia\u2019s recent tests of the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile and the Poseidon nuclear-powered underwater drone had nothing to do with the global ban on testing nuclear warheads.<\/p>\n \u201cRegarding the tests of the Burevestnik and the Poseidon, we hope that President Trump was correctly informed about it,\u201d Peskov said. \u201cThere is no way it can be interpreted as nuclear testing.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump did not specifically mention the Russian tests in his post, but alluded to the nuclear stockpiles controlled by both Xi and Putin, saying, \u201cRussia is second, and China is a distant third, but will be even within 5 years.\u201d<\/p>\n Putin in 2023 signed a bill revoking Russia\u2019s ratification of a global nuclear test ban<\/a>, which Moscow said was needed to put Russia on par with the U.S. The global test ban was signed by President Bill Clinton but never ratified by the Senate.<\/p>\n