Trump launches US nuclear program after Putin’s statements: what it means
30 October 2025 08:08
US President Donald Trump has announced the start of new nuclear weapons tests. He wrote about this on his social network Truth Social, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
He ordered the Pentagon to do so after Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s statements about the “successful” testing of an unlimited-range missile.
What Trump said
In particular, Trump emphasized that “the United States has more nuclear weapons than any other country” and that the country achieved this, “including the complete renewal and modernization of existing weapons,” during his first term in office.
“Russia is in second place and China is a distant third, but in five years it will be in first place. Given the testing programs of other countries, I have instructed the Department of Defense to begin testing our nuclear weapons on a level playing field,” Trump wrote.
He emphasized that this process would begin immediately.
What it means
A return to Cold War-era “nuclear diplomacy”
The United States is actually coming out of a long pause in nuclear weapons testing, which it has been observing since 1992. This may provoke a reaction from Moscow and Beijing, which are also unofficially testing new weapons systems.
Increased pressure on China
Washington fears that Beijing is building up its nuclear arsenal. The Pentagon estimates that by 2030, China could have more than 1,000 warheads.
Tension in the world may increase
The resumption of testing could undermine the remaining international arms control agreements, including the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, which the United States has not ratified.
The Burevestnik test
on October 26, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin announced the successful test of a Burevestnik with a supposedly “unlimited” range. The missile allegedly traveled 14,000 kilometers, staying in the air for about 15 hours.
Norwegian intelligence has established that the Russian Burevestnik missile was launched from the Arctic archipelago of Novaya Zemlya in the Barents Sea.
Currently, the 9M730 Burevestnik missile is not in service with the Russian army. According to open sources, the Kremlin plans to put it on combat duty no earlier than 2027.
on October 29, Russia conducted another test of the Poseidon submarine, equipped with a nuclear power plant.
“Poseidon was formerly known as Status-6, with the NATO code name Kanyon. This is a Russian project of an unmanned underwater vehicle with a nuclear power plant. In fact, it is a nuclear torpedo that can cause guaranteed unacceptable damage to the territory, creating large areas of radioactive contamination and tsunamis.
Comparison with Chernobyl
According to the Russian media, the Russian director’s envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, claims that Russia has informed its US counterparts about the successful testing of the Burevestnik with a nuclear warhead.
At the same time, it is worth recalling that back in 2020, US Special Envoy for Arms Control Marshall Billingsley compared the Russian Burevestnik to Chernobyl.
“We believe that such a weapon should not exist at all. Why have a nuclear-powered cruise missile? This is nothing more than a flying Chernobyl,” he said.
Billingsley also called the missiles “doomsday systems” because of the radioactive emissions they can produce during flight.
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