Overview
- At a televised Security Council session, Vladimir Putin directed defense, foreign affairs and security bodies to submit coordinated options for resuming nuclear tests, with the Kremlin stressing no final decision.
- Defense Minister Andrey Belousov pressed to begin preparations immediately for large-scale trials, pointing to rapid readiness at the Novaya Zemlya test site.
- Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov said preparations could take several months to years and urged action without waiting for U.S. clarifications.
- President Donald Trump reiterated his order to test on “equal terms,” while U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the planned activities are non‑nuclear system tests.
- The U.S. conducted an unarmed Minuteman III launch from Vandenberg, described by the Pentagon as a routine operational test following Trump’s announcement.