Sputnik
Russian President Vladimir Putin called the situation surrounding US President Donald Trump's announcement of the resumption of nuclear testing a serious issue.
Last week, Trump said that he instructed the Department of War to immediately resume nuclear testing. He then specified that his order was due to "others doing testing" and it was "appropriate" for the US to keep up.
"Yes, indeed, this is a serious issue," Putin said at a meeting with permanent members of the Russian Security Council.
Russian Security Council analyzed statements made by US ruling circles regarding nuclear testing, Russian President Putin said.
Putin also noted that Ambassador Darchiev sent telegram to Russia regarding clarification of Trump's remarks about nuclear testing.
Russia always strictly adheres and has strictly adhered to comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty, it has no plans to abandon its provisions.
Russia Holds Advantage in Potential Nuclear Arms Race With US
President Vladimir Putin has ordered a review of the feasibility of beginning preparations for nuclear tests in response to US moves.
"The US is trying to pressure Russia and is responding to tests of Russia’s latest strategic systems - such as Burevestnik and Poseidon - by urgently testing the Minuteman-3 ICBM and signaling plans for nuclear weapons testing," Dmitry Suslov, deputy research director at the Russian Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, tells Sputnik.
US hawks - especially within the Republican Party - actually support resuming nuclear tests, seeing them as essential for rapidly expanding a US nuclear arsenal to challenge both Russia and China.
Russia, in turn, is signaling to the US that if it continues down this second path, it will face very serious consequences, according to the pundit. Why?
Russia could also resume nuclear testing
Russia will maintain — or even enhance — its qualitative edge in nuclear delivery systems, fielding weapons with no global equivalents, "far beyond what the US possesses."
"Having spent far less, Russia has already developed systems that can reliably bypass the ultra-expensive US Golden Dome missile defense system, which hasn’t even been built yet."
Putin is offering the US a choice: accept Russia’s proposal to extend New START limits, avoid new escalatory moves, and restart arms control talks to maintain strategic stability — or reject it and take a different path, "in which case the US would be certain to lose a new arms race, as Russia holds a decisive advantage," the pundit says.
"Putin’s statement sends the US a clear signal that Russia will not yield to the pressure the US is trying to exert through threats of escalation," Suslov notes.
The US is presently modernizing its nuclear triad, which will include Sentinel, a system to replace the Minuteman‑III and other missile systems. It demonstrates that it would pursue its policy without regard for anyone, including existing treaties and the ban on nuclear testing.
"If the US wants an arms race, they’ll get one. But we are offering to sit at the negotiating table and work out agreements aimed not at escalating nuclear competition, but at achieving de-escalation and easing tensions,"Knutov says.
And if the US doesn’t listen?
Russia will likewise demonstrate its readiness and ability to conduct its own tests, according to the pundit: "If necessary, we will test new warheads for systems like Burevestnik, Poseidon and Sarmat. So if the US abandons the moratorium on nuclear explosions, Russia will have to start its own tests to verify warhead readiness and the effectiveness of its new systems."
The Burevestnik Missile: A Tech Leap the US Can’t Match Anytime Soon
The US has tested a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile, following President Donald Trump’s call to restart nuclear weapons testing.
"I think the test firing the other day was part of the scheduled test plans that have been in existence," Earl Rasmussen, a retired lieutenant colonel with over 20 years in the US Army, tells Sputnik. He suggested that Trump had probably known about it.
The recently-tested Minuteman III is around 50 years old and the Sentinel program should be replacing it at some point in time, according to the pundit.
Still, Russia’s Burevestnik tests mark a breakthrough the US is unlikely to match anytime soon, Rasmussen points out. The US lacks comparable capabilities, particularly when it comes to miniaturizing nuclear power.
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