The President of the United States, Donald Trump, announced this Wednesday (29) that he ordered the War Department to immediately begin new tests with nuclear weapons. The decision was communicated in a post on the Truth Social network, in which the president stated that he had instructed the Pentagon to carry out tests “on an equivalent basis” to those conducted by other powers, such as Russia and China.
“The United States has more nuclear weapons than any other country. This was accomplished, including a complete upgrade and renewal of existing weapons, during my first term. Because of the tremendous destructive power, I hated to do it, but I had no choice! Russia is second, and China is a distant third, but will be at the same level in five years. Because of the testing programs of other countries, I have directed the War Department to begin testing our nuclear weapons on an equivalent basis. This process will begin immediately,” Trump wrote.
Trump’s announcement came days after Russian dictator Vladimir Putin declared that Moscow had successfully tested a new nuclear cruise missile called Burevestnik, with a range of more than 8,000 miles, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.
The new presidential directive was released hours before the meeting between Trump and Chinese dictator Xi Jinping in South Korea, the first since 2019. During his first term, Trump oversaw a broad modernization of the American nuclear arsenal and had already defended the expansion of the United States’ strategic capabilities in this sector.
