Russia Warns United States Of Possible Nuclear Tests Under Trump Administration

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov. (Twitter/@mfa_russia)

JAKARTA - Russia's top arms control officials on Friday warned that the United States government under Donald Trump, Moscow is considering various steps that may be taken regarding nuclear tests because of what it says is Trump's radical position in the matter.

Kommersant newspaper quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov, who oversees arms surveillance, as saying Trump took a radical position regarding the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) during his first term of office.

"The current international situation is very difficult, American policy in its various aspects is very unfriendly to us at this time," Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov said.

"So, our choice of action to ensure the security and complexity of actions and actions that might be taken to realize this - and to send a politically appropriate signal, other than what practitioners are considering - does not contain any exceptions," said Wamnelu Ryabkov.

During Trump's first term as president in 2017-2021, his administration discussed whether to conduct Uncle Sama's first nuclear test since 1992, the Washington Post reported in 2020.

Russia itself after Soviet has never conducted a nuclear test. The Soviet Union last conducted a test in 1990.

President Vladimir Putin said Russia would consider testing nuclear weapons if the United States did.

Since the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, only a few countries have tested nuclear weapons, according to the Arms Control Association: the United States last conducted trials in 1992, China and France in 1996, India and Pakistan in 1998 and North Korea in 2017.