Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov clarified that Russia has not conducted any nuclear tests so far, but emphasized that if the United States alters its stance, Moscow will be forced to take corresponding measures.
Peskov noted that Russia had received no prior communication from Washington regarding any shift in nuclear policy or testing strategy. He also dismissed President Trump’s assertion that other nations were already conducting secret tests, stating, We have no knowledge of any such activities by other countries.
Addressing recent Russian weapons trials, Peskov stressed that the tests of the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile and the Poseidon underwater nuclear drone were not nuclear detonations. As President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said, he added, Russia has always honored the moratorium on nuclear testing. But if others abandon the rules, we will not remain idle.
It is worth recalling that the Soviet Union last conducted a nuclear test in 1990, followed by the United States in 1992, and China in 1996. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia has never carried out a nuclear weapon test, standing by the spirit of restraint — a restraint now being tested by renewed talk of atomic experimentation.
In essence, the Kremlin’s message was unmistakable: the balance of nuclear responsibility is delicate — disturb it, and Moscow will not hesitate to restore it on its own terms.
