In a week marked by mounting nuclear tensions, Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his government to prepare for a possible resumption of nuclear weapons testing, a move prompted by President Donald Trump’s recent announcement that the United States will restart its own nuclear tests. The escalating rhetoric and policy maneuvers from both Moscow and Washington have reignited global anxieties about a new era of nuclear brinkmanship, with the specter of World War III looming larger in the minds of many observers.
On Wednesday, November 5, 2025, Putin directed Russia’s defense and foreign ministries, along with other government agencies, to submit coordinated proposals regarding preparations for nuclear weapons testing. According to Fox News, Putin stated, "Russia has always strictly adhered and continues to adhere to its obligations under the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), and we have no plans to deviate from these commitments." However, he made it clear that if the U.S. or other signatories of the treaty begin nuclear testing, "Russia would also have to take appropriate and proportionate responsive measures."
This announcement followed a week of provocative statements and actions from both sides. Last week, President Trump declared on Truth Social, "because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis. That process will begin immediately." Trump further asserted at the American Business Forum in Miami, "We redid our nuclear — we’re the number one nuclear power, which I hate to admit, because it’s so horrible. Russia’s second. China’s a distant third, but they’ll catch us within four or five years. We’re maybe working on a plan to denuclearize, the three of us. We’ll see if that works."
The United States has not conducted an explosive nuclear test since 1992, while Russia’s last known test was in 1990. Yet, both nations have continued to test nuclear-capable delivery systems. Just last week, Russia claimed successful tests of two delivery vehicles: the undersea torpedo known as Poseidon and a nuclear-powered cruise missile. On Wednesday, November 5, 2025, the U.S. responded by launching a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, which traveled 4,200 miles to a test site in the Marshall Islands, as reported by Fox News and NBC News.
Putin’s latest directive is not a declaration that Russia will imminently detonate a nuclear device, but rather a signal that Moscow is prepared to match U.S. actions step for step. At a meeting with his Security Council, Putin reaffirmed Russia’s position: "Moscow will only restart nuclear tests if the U.S. does so first." He nevertheless urged Kremlin officials to do "everything possible" to initiate full-scale detonations if necessary, a stance described by GB News as representing the gravest threat yet of a potential World War III scenario.
Putin’s call for proposals comes in the wake of Trump’s suggestion that the U.S. would resume nuclear testing for the first time in more than three decades, and his claim that the renewed tests would be conducted "on an equal basis" with Russia and China. The move has drawn concern from both Russian and international officials. Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s former president and current security council member, commented on X, "No one knows what Trump meant about ‘nuclear testing,’ he probably doesn’t himself. But he’s the president of the United States. And the consequences of such words are inescapable: Russia will be forced to assess the expediency of conducting full-fledged nuclear tests itself."
Russia’s defense minister, Andrey Belousov, echoed the sentiment, stating on November 5 that the U.S. is "actively increasing its strategic offensive capabilities." He added, "We must, of course, focus not only — or even primarily — on statements and remarks made by American politicians and officials, but above all on the actual actions of the United States of America."
Despite the heated rhetoric, some U.S. officials have attempted to downplay the immediate risk of nuclear detonations. U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright clarified on November 2 that the new tests of the U.S. nuclear weapons system ordered by Trump "will not include nuclear explosions." Instead, these tests would likely involve non-explosive evaluations of delivery systems and warhead reliability. The U.S. military regularly tests nuclear-capable vehicles, missiles, and rockets, but the last detonation of a nuclear weapon occurred in 1992. The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), signed by the U.S. but never ratified, has been observed in practice by all nuclear-armed states except North Korea.
The timing of these developments is complicated by the ongoing U.S. government shutdown, which has furloughed approximately 1,400 workers—80% of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), the agency responsible for testing nuclear explosives. This logistical hurdle could delay or complicate any immediate plans for new nuclear tests on the American side.
International reaction to the escalating standoff has been swift and anxious. Analysts warn that any move by either nation to resume nuclear detonations could unravel decades of arms control efforts and set off a dangerous new arms race. The CTBT has been a cornerstone of global nonproliferation efforts since its adoption in the 1990s, even though it has not been formally ratified by all nuclear powers. The treaty’s spirit has largely been respected, with the notable exception of North Korea, which has conducted several nuclear tests in the 21st century.
Both Moscow and Washington have framed their actions as defensive, arguing that they are merely responding to the perceived provocations or escalations of the other side. For Putin, the decision to prepare for possible tests is portrayed as a necessary safeguard against what he sees as an increasingly aggressive U.S. posture. For Trump and his allies, resuming tests is justified as a response to the alleged advancements and testing programs of other nuclear states, and as a way to maintain strategic parity.
Yet, the reality is that each step brings the world closer to a more perilous nuclear environment. The fact that both leaders are signaling a willingness to break a decades-long moratorium on nuclear detonations is itself a destabilizing development. The mutual distrust and tit-for-tat escalation risk spiraling into a new era of nuclear competition, with unpredictable consequences for global security.
As the world watches and waits, the hope remains that cooler heads will prevail and that the resumption of nuclear testing will remain a threat, not a reality. For now, however, the nuclear standoff between Russia and the United States has entered its most dangerous phase in decades, and the stakes could hardly be higher.
