Former US President Donald Trump has issued an order urging the Pentagon to quickly resume nuclear weapons testing. This was reported by Zamin.uz.
The decision was announced on the social network "Truth Social" and was regarded as a sign of abandoning the country's long-standing arms control policy. In his statement, Trump emphasized that the US has the largest nuclear arsenal in the world and noted that these weapons were fully modernized during his first term as president.
"This was a very complicated task, but there was no other way," he said. According to Trump, this decision was made in response to activities carried out by other nuclear powers.
"Considering that there are countries developing nuclear programs, I have ordered the Department of Defense to begin nuclear weapons testing. This process will start immediately," the statement said.
Trump also spoke about the world's nuclear powers, stating that Russia is second and China is far behind, but noted that China could catch up with the US within five years. This statement signifies a departure from the US policy of halting nuclear tests that has been in place since 1992.
International observers and the Reuters news agency have not yet specified what types of tests are planned. Two main options are being considered: nuclear explosion tests or flight tests of missile systems capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
Trump's decision was announced before his meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea, adding further geopolitical significance. The presidential administration stated that detailed information about the location and schedule of the tests will be announced later.
