U.S. President Donald Trump has issued directives to conduct nuclear weapons tests “to ensure nuclear parity with Russia and China.”
In a recorded address, Trump said that the United States possesses the largest nuclear arsenal in the world, attributing this to efforts made during his first presidential term to modernize the military, which included renewing and upgrading the existing stockpile of nuclear weapons.
اضافة اعلان
He added, “Despite the immense destructive power of nuclear weapons, which makes handling them extremely difficult, I found no other choice but to take this step.”
Trump explained that Russia ranks second globally in nuclear capability, while China comes in third but could close the gap and compete with the United States within five years.
Accordingly, he said, “Given the nuclear testing programs being carried out by other countries, I have ordered the Department of War (the Pentagon) to immediately begin testing our nuclear weapons on an equal footing.”
He concluded his remarks by saying, “This process will begin immediately. Thank you for your attention to this important matter.”
Two days earlier, Trump had affirmed that the United States would conduct nuclear weapons tests, expressing his belief that Russia, China, and North Korea are already conducting such experiments.
Commenting on Trump’s earlier statements, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev wrote on the platform X on Wednesday: “No one knows what Trump meant when he talked about ‘nuclear tests’—perhaps he doesn’t know himself.”
He added, “But he is the President of the United States, and the consequences of such words are inevitable.”
Medvedev concluded that Trump’s talk of “nuclear testing” would compel Russia to assess whether it should itself conduct comprehensive nuclear tests. —(RT)
