In a recent meeting of his Security Council in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin broached the topic of Russia's readiness to conduct a nuclear weapon test at short notice.
This discussion, which was originally intended to focus on road safety, shifted towards the state of Russia's nuclear weapons establishment and its ability to perform a live test, potentially the first in over three decades, if deemed necessary.
According to Breitbart, the conversation was prompted by remarks made by U.S. President Donald Trump last month, where he directed the Department of War to begin testing U.S. nuclear weapons on an equal footing with other nuclear powers. Putin instructed his officials not only to prepare for the possibility of resuming nuclear testing in the future, but also to probe the intentions of the United States to comprehend its plans.
The meeting was reportedly clouded by confusion over President Trump's intentions, with Moscow expressing frustration over the lack of clarification from Washington.
During the meeting, Putin was quoted by Russian broadsheet 'The Record' stating that he would not unilaterally resume nuclear tests, but would only do so in response to an American live nuclear test. He reportedly said, In my 2023 address to the Federal Assembly, I stated that if the United States or other countries conduct such tests, Russia will be required to take appropriate retaliatory measures.
Putin's senior ministers were reportedly eager to expedite Russia's readiness for a nuclear test, so that if the United States conducted one, the Russian Federation would be prepared to demonstrate its own capabilities swiftly afterwards. The Associated Press reported that Defence Minister Andrei Belousov informed the meeting that the old Soviet Union nuclear testing facility in the Novaya Zemlya archipelago in the Arctic is well-maintained and could be readied quickly.
However, General military chief Valery Gerasimov stressed the importance of early preparations, as it could take several months to several years to be ready to conduct a test.
In an attempt to temper the escalating rhetoric, Vladimir Putins personal spokesman Dmitry Peskov clarified that Russia did not intend to be the first to violate the 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. He stated, President [Vladimir] Putin reiterated that Russia remains committed to all its obligations under the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. We remain faithful to our undertakings.
However, given everything that the participants in the Security Councils operational meeting said at the beginning of the session, Putin has instructed to assess whether it is necessary to begin preparations Thus, we are not starting preparations right now; we are first trying to figure out whether we need to start them, given what we are hearing from the United States. It is very important to understand this and to clearly see Russias intentions.
Over the weekend, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright suggested that any U.S. nuclear tests would likely involve everything up to the actual blast itself. He stated, I think the tests were talking about right now are system tests These are not nuclear explosions. These are what we call noncritical explosions.
This nuclear rhetoric comes on the heels of months of discussion and action on the subject, reflecting tensions over the Ukraine War. Both sides have recently conducted routine nuclear drills, and Russia now claims to have successfully tested a long-discussed nuclear-powered ramjet missile for the first time. Russia has boasted that this new missile, which can loiter in the sky for days at a time, is invincible.
However, this claim remains unproven and doubtful. While the missile is reportedly designed to fly at very low altitudes to evade detection, the limitations of the nuclear-heated air propulsion would not allow it to travel at high speeds. The greatest concern over the system is that any accident or shootdown would result in nuclear material being spread over a potentially large area by an explosion or crash.
The United States had previously experimented with the same nuclear propulsion system but abandoned the idea for various reasons, including safety. Ukraine has criticized Russia for testing what it characterizes as a flying Chernobyl, in reference to the late-Soviet nuclear disaster in 1986.
Despite the nuclear saber-rattling, some in NATO have chosen to remain calm. As reported by Romanian media this week, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte dismissed Putins nuclear talk, stating, Ive long stopped reacting to the meetings that Putin organizes. Hes paid as the President of Russia, thats why he organizes them.
This response underscores the importance of maintaining a level-headed approach amidst escalating nuclear rhetoric.
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