Moscow has warned Donald Trump against resuming the testing of nuclear weapons when he takes office, saying it would “not rule anything out” in response to US aggression.
Sergei Ryabkov, Russia’s deputy foreign minister who oversees arms control, noted that Mr Trump refused to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty during his first term.
Referencing this refusal, Mr Ryabkov said: “American policy in its various aspects is extremely hostile to us today.”
“So the options for us to act in the interests of ensuring security and the potential measures and actions we have to do this – and to send politically appropriate signals… we do not rule anything out,” he added.
The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty banning nuclear test explosions was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1996, but has not come into force as some signatory nations have not ratified it.
The United States signed the treaty in 1996 but has not ratified it. Russia signed the treaty in 1996 and ratified it in 2000, before Vladimir Putin revoked the move in 2023.
Analysts have suggested the US is moving towards a return to testing as a way to develop new weapons and at the same time send a signal to rivals such as Russia and China.
