Russia Warns Future President Trump Admin Over Potential Nuclear Tests; Threatens Reciprocal Actions
Russia has cautioned the incoming administration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump about a range of potential actions in response to his radical stance on nuclear tests, Reuters reported. Despite Trump’s victory in the U.S. elections, Russia warned it is not ruling out any options to protect its security and send political signals, said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, who oversees nuclear arms control.
Ryabkov, who spoke to the Russian daily "Kommersant," said Trump’s position on the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) during his first term was radical. "The international situation right now is extremely difficult, with the American policy in various aspects being extremely hostile to us. Therefore, we do not rule out any possibilities for actions on our part to ensure security and send appropriate political signals in addition to what our experts are doing on the ground," Ryabkov stated.
According to a 2020 report by the Washington Post, the Trump administration had discussed whether to conduct the first U.S. nuclear test since 1992 during his first term, BTA News Agency reported. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, post-Soviet Russia has not conducted any nuclear tests. The Soviet Union last conducted a nuclear test in 1990. Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, stated that Russia would consider conducting a nuclear test if the U.S. did so, Reuters noted.
According to data from the Arms Control Association, following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, only a few countries have tested nuclear weapons: the U.S. conducted its last test in 1992, China and France in 1996, India and Pakistan in 1998, and North Korea in 2017.
