Overview
- Trump said he instructed the Department of War/Defense to begin testing “immediately” to keep parity with Russia and China, posting the order minutes before meeting Xi in Busan.
- Washington has not detailed implementation, and U.S. nuclear warhead testing has historically been managed by the Energy Department’s NNSA rather than the Pentagon.
- The Kremlin said its recent Burevestnik and Poseidon activities were system tests, reaffirmed its moratorium on explosive nuclear testing, and said Moscow was not notified of a U.S. decision.
- China urged the United States to respect the Comprehensive Nuclear‑Test‑Ban Treaty and to take concrete steps to uphold the global nonproliferation regime.
- Experts said any U.S. explosive test would likely take many months to years and need congressional funding, could prompt reciprocal testing by other powers, and Trump later framed his aim as pursuing denuclearization talks with Russia and China.