Overview
- Trump posted that he instructed the “Department of War” to start testing, with reporting noting uncertainty over whether he meant explosive detonations or trials of nuclear-capable delivery systems.
- The Kremlin said Russia has conducted no nuclear detonations, describing recent Burevestnik and Poseidon activities as weapons-system tests rather than nuclear blasts.
- China urged the United States to respect the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and to uphold the global norm against nuclear testing.
- The U.S. has not conducted an explosive test since 1992, and independent analyses estimate resuming one would take 24–36 months or longer under Department of Energy and NNSA oversight.
- Experts warned that an American nuclear detonation could prompt reciprocal tests and intensify global competition, while Trump later framed his remarks as aimed at denuclearization talks; there is no evidence of any U.S. nuclear test.