Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, sounded a serious warning to Donald Trump’s incoming administration, saying that there should be no return to nuclear testing. Ryabkov said that Moscow will keep its options open amid what he termed as an “extremely hostile” stance by Washington on arms control. The US and Russia, the world’s two largest nuclear powers, are engaged in major nuclear modernization programs, while old Cold War-era arms control treaties crumble.
Speaking with Russia’s Kommersant newspaper, Ryabkov spoke about the seriousness of today’s international climate, with an eye to the extremist moves Trump made during his first term, particularly when he pulled out of ratifying the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). Although both Russia and the US signed the treaty, only Russia ratified it, while the US never has, although Russia withdrew its ratification in 2023 and is now, effectively, in line with the US over the matter.
Ryabkov’s comments reflect the growing concerns among arms control experts that the US may be heading toward resuming nuclear testing. Such a move would not only enable the development of new weapons but also signal to adversaries like Russia and China the United States’ readiness for a new arms race.
Russia and the US have by far the biggest nuclear arsenals in the world, with Russia at approximately 5,580 warheads and the US 5,044, constituting almost 88% of all the nuclear stockpile. While Russia has not had a nuclear test since 1990, the Soviet Union’s last test took place before it collapsed; tension remains high. Recent development sees Russian President Vladimir Putin set a lower nuclear-strike threshold as response to the use of missiles from the United States by Ukraine on Russian soil.
It would be a dangerous step backward for global efforts to curb nuclear proliferation if nuclear testing were resumed, especially with new nuclear powers like North Korea continuing to test weapons.
