Overview
- At a televised Security Council meeting, Vladimir Putin told ministries and security agencies to present coordinated proposals for preparing nuclear tests, reiterating Russia would move only if the United States tests first.
- Defense Minister Andrey Belousov urged immediate preparations for large‑scale trials and said the Novaya Zemlya range could be readied on a short timeline.
- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said no decision has been made and that Moscow is seeking clarity on U.S. intentions.
- President Donald Trump has repeated that he ordered nuclear weapons testing on an “equal footing,” while U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright says current plans involve system tests without nuclear explosions.
- The U.S. Air Force conducted an unarmed Minuteman III ICBM launch from Vandenberg, described as a routine operational test, as both countries maintain moratoria on explosive tests dating to 1990 (Russia/USSR) and 1992 (U.S.), with Russia having revoked CTBT ratification in 2023.