MOSCOW: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday that Moscow is “ready” to discuss with Washington allegations by US President Donald Trump that Russia may have carried out secret underground nuclear tests.
The claim from Trump has escalated tensions between the world’s two largest nuclear powers. The US president accused Russia of conducting clandestine nuclear detonations, beyond routine tests of delivery systems.
Trump also claimed China had engaged in nuclear tests, though both countries deny the allegations.
Lavrov told Russian state media in a televised interview that Moscow denies Trump’s claims. “We are ready to discuss the suspicions raised by our American colleagues regarding the possibility that we might be secretly doing something deep underground,” he said.
Lavrov added that the United States could verify any alleged Russian tests via the global seismic monitoring system.
He emphasised that other forms of nuclear testing, such as subcritical or carrier tests without a chain reaction, are not prohibited under international law.
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia has not received clarification from the White House on Trump’s statements.
“So far, there have been no explanations from our U.S. colleagues on this topic,” Peskov told Russian media.
Trump’s nuclear testing claims
Trump, in an interview with CBS News, said the US would “immediately” resume nuclear weapons tests to maintain parity with Russia, China, and North Korea. He did not specify whether these tests would involve actual nuclear detonations.
Later, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright clarified that the planned tests would not involve nuclear explosions.
“These are system tests. These are not nuclear explosions,” Wright told Fox News. “We are testing all the other parts of a nuclear weapon to make sure they deliver the appropriate geometry and set up the nuclear explosion.”
Putin signals possible response
Senior Russian officials said on November 11 that they were waiting for further explanation from the White House regarding what Trump meant.
Deputy chair of Russia’s Security Council Dmitry Medvedev commented on social media: “No one knows what Trump meant about ‘nuclear testing’ (he probably doesn’t himself). But he’s the president of the United States. And the consequences of such words are inescapable: Russia will be forced to assess the expediency of conducting full-fledged nuclear tests itself.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday instructed his government to submit proposals on the potential resumption of nuclear weapons testing.
Speaking at a Security Council meeting, Putin said Russia had adhered to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) but added: “If the United States or any other state party to the Treaty was to conduct such tests, Russia would be under obligation to take reciprocal measures.”
Nuclear arsenals and strategic context
The New START treaty, which limits deployed nuclear warheads, expires in February 2026. Both countries maintain additional warheads in storage.
Analysts note that Trump’s statements come amid heightened tensions over the war in Ukraine, with the US providing military aid to Kyiv and Russia repeatedly warning against Western strikes inside its territory.
Chinese officials have denied resuming nuclear explosive tests. North Korea remains the only country known to have conducted nuclear detonations since the 1990s.
Japanese security analyst Narushige Michishita, speaking to CBS News, said potential US nuclear testing had mixed implications.
“Good news is that the US is serious in bolstering its nuclear deterrence… But at the same time, Japan has been working very hard to create a world without nuclear weapons,” Michishita said. He urged Washington to act “objectively and soberly” to avoid escalating a nuclear crisis.
