Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized the necessity for the Russian Ministry of Defense and the "Rosatom" company to be prepared to conduct nuclear tests if needed, indicating that Moscow would not be the first to do so. In a message to the Federal Assembly, Putin stated, "In the event of U.S. hints at nuclear weapons testing, the Russian Ministry of Defense and Rosatom should be ready to test Russian nuclear weapons." He clarified that Russia would not be the first to initiate such tests, adding, "If the United States conducts tests (nuclear), we will do so." He noted, "No one should be under the illusion that it is possible to undermine the global strategic equilibrium."
Putin stressed that the Russian side is aware of "every detail" regarding the United States concerning the expiration of guarantees for the practical use of certain types of nuclear weapons. He added that "some figures in Washington are already contemplating the feasibility of conducting natural tests of their nuclear weapons, taking into account the fact that the United States is developing new types of nuclear weapons." He warned that "no one should have serious illusions about the possibility of destroying the global strategic equilibrium."
These statements come after Putin announced the suspension of his country's participation in the last arms control treaty between the world's two largest nuclear powers. He stated, "I declare that Russia is suspending its participation in the New START treaty," adding, "No one should be under the illusion that it is possible to violate the global strategic equilibrium." Earlier, he accused the West of waging war against his country through the use of Ukraine, considering that they "have unleashed the genie from the bottle." He claimed that the West had directly rejected all fundamental security proposals put forth by his country.
