Russian President Vladimir Putin has directed his top officials to draft proposals for potential nuclear weapons testing, following remarks made by US President Donald Trump about resuming such tests. During a meeting with the Security Council, Putin stated that Russia would only consider nuclear tests if the United States initiated them first.

Putin emphasized, "I am instructing the Foreign Ministry, the Defence Ministry… the special services and relevant civilian agencies to do everything possible to collect additional information on the issue, analyse it at the Security Council and make agreed proposals on the possible start of work on the preparation of nuclear weapons tests."

Defence Minister Andrei Belousov suggested that preparations for nuclear tests should begin immediately, particularly at the Arctic testing site in Novaya Zemlya. He noted that recent actions by the US warranted such a response.

The last nuclear test conducted by Russia was on October 24, 1990, prior to the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Currently, Russia possesses over 5,500 nuclear warheads, the highest stockpile globally, followed closely by the United States with 5,044.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov clarified that no specific deadline has been set for the proposals, stating, "In order to come to a conclusion about the advisability of beginning preparations for such tests, it will take exactly as much time as it takes for us to fully understand the intentions of the United States of America."

Tensions between Russia and the US have escalated recently, particularly over the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Trump's comments about resuming nuclear tests were made last week, although it remains unclear whether he was referring to nuclear-explosive tests or missile tests.

In response to the deteriorating relations, Putin has reiterated that if the US conducts a nuclear test, Russia will follow suit. This situation marks a significant moment in the ongoing nuclear arms discourse between the two nations, with both sides closely monitoring each other's actions.