Overview
- Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said agencies are executing Putin’s November 5 order to develop coordinated proposals and will brief the public on the outcome.
- Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reiterated that Putin has not ordered a detonation and that Russia would only act to maintain parity if another country conducts a test.
- Lavrov said Moscow has received no diplomatic clarification of President Trump’s call to “resume” testing, noting divergent U.S. statements as Energy Secretary Chris Wright says no nuclear explosions are planned.
- Defense Minister Andrey Belousov urged immediate preparations at the Security Council meeting, and a former test-site chief said Novaya Zemlya has been kept ready to restart testing on short notice.
- Russian officials, including the UN envoy and the Foreign Ministry, warned that a U.S. explosive test could unravel the moratorium and trigger reciprocal steps and a broader arms race.