Trump orders nuclear tests after lambasting Russia over nuclear-powered missile
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Oct. 30 that he had instructed the Department of War to resume testing nuclear weapons for the first time since 1992.
He argued that the U.S. needed to keep up with other nuclear powers such as Russia and China.
The statement follows Trump's criticism of Russia over its testing of a nuclear-powered missile. It also came amid escalating tensions between the U.S. and Russia and preceded a high-profile meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea on Oct. 30.
Trump wrote on the Truth Social media platform that the U.S. "has more nuclear weapons than any other country."
"Because of the tremendous destructive power, I hated to do it, but had no choice!" he added. "Russia is second, and China is a distant third, but will be even within five years. Because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our nuclear weapons on an equal basis."
Valery Gerasimov, head of Russia's General Staff, said on Oct. 26 that Russia had tested its newly developed nuclear-powered Burevestnik cruise missile.
Trump reacted on Oct. 27 by saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin should end the war in Ukraine instead of testing a nuclear-powered missile. He also said that a U.S. nuclear submarine was positioned off Russia's coast.
The statement followed several turnarounds in Trump's Russia policy.
When Putin called Trump on Oct. 16, the U.S. leader said that he would meet Putin in Budapest and talked about "progress" being allegedly made in peace talks.
However, the plans for a Putin-Trump meeting were shelved on Oct. 21, with the U.S. president saying that he did not want a "wasted meeting" with Putin. He said that a key problem was Moscow's refusal to cease fighting along the current front line.
Trump went even further on Oct. 22, when he imposed sanctions on Russia's two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
