In a move that has stunned the global community, US President Donald Trump on Thursday (October 30, 2025) announced that he had ordered the immediate resumption of nuclear weapons testing after a hiatus of 33 years. The declaration came just minutes before he was set to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in Busan, South Korea, for crucial trade talks.

Trump made the announcement on his social media platform, Truth Social, while aboard Marine One, en route to the summit. The order marks a major reversal of US nuclear policy, which has maintained a moratorium on explosive testing since 1992.

Trump says testing needed to ‘keep pace’ with rivals

Trump stated that the move was necessary to ensure parity with rival nuclear powers such as Russia and China, which he accused of advancing their own weapons programmes.

“Because of other countries’ testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis. That process will begin immediately,” he posted.

Speaking later aboard Air Force One on his return to Washington, Trump defended the decision, saying, “With others doing testing, I think it’s appropriate that we do also.” He said the locations for the tests would be determined later, adding that the move was part of efforts to ensure the reliability of the US nuclear arsenal.

When asked if the decision risked escalating global tensions, Trump dismissed such concerns, saying, “I’d like to see denuclearisation because we have so many. Russia is second and China is third, but China will catch up within four or five years.”

Global reactions: alarm and condemnation

The announcement drew swift and sharp responses from world leaders. A senior Russian lawmaker said the move would usher in “a new era of unpredictability and open confrontation.”

China’s Foreign Ministry urged Washington to honour its moratorium and maintain global “strategic balance and stability.”

The Arms Control Association (ACA) in Washington criticised the decision, calling it “misinformed and reckless.” Daryl Kimball, the association’s director, said, “The US has no technical, military, or political reason to resume nuclear explosive testing for the first time since 1992. Trump’s move could trigger a dangerous chain reaction of testing by adversaries.”

Democratic lawmaker Dina Titus from Nevada, home to the former nuclear test site, announced plans to introduce legislation to block the decision, warning that it endangered decades of progress on non-proliferation.

Testing uncertainty and global implications

It remains unclear whether Trump’s directive refers to full-scale explosive testing — which would violate the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) — or missile flight testing of nuclear-capable systems. No nuclear power other than North Korea has conducted an explosive test in over 25 years.

Experts warn that any US test could unravel the fragile nuclear arms control architecture, prompting reciprocal tests by Russia and China. Putin has repeatedly stated that Moscow would test again if Washington did.

The ACA estimated that it would take the United States at least 36 months to prepare underground tests at the Nevada Test Site, where the last explosion took place in September 1992.

China and Russia’s recent nuclear advances

Trump’s decision comes amid reports of rapid nuclear advancements by both Moscow and Beijing. Russia recently tested its Poseidon nuclear-powered torpedo and the Burevestnik nuclear-capable cruise missile.

In comparison, China has doubled its nuclear stockpile in five years — from around 300 warheads in 2020 to an estimated 600 in 2025 — and is projected to exceed 1,000 warheads by 2030, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

By contrast, the United States is estimated to possess 5,225 nuclear warheads, while Russia holds around 5,580, as per the ACA.

Trump earlier criticised Putin’s recent tests, saying the Russian leader should “focus on ending the war in Ukraine instead of testing missiles.” However, his own announcement has now reignited fears of a new nuclear arms race.

A potential blow to global arms control

The decision also complicates Trump’s stated goal of pursuing nuclear arms control agreements with Russia and China. In August, he had said he wanted Beijing to join disarmament talks — a proposal China dismissed as “unrealistic.”

If implemented, the resumption of US nuclear testing would be the first since the Cold War, signalling a major escalation in global military competition. Analysts warn that such a step could undermine the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and weaken decades of diplomacy aimed at preventing the spread of nuclear weapons.

The United States, which opened the nuclear era with its first test in Alamogordo, New Mexico, in July 1945, had long advocated global restraint. Now, experts fear that restraint could be lost.

As tensions mount between Washington, Moscow, and Beijing, Trump’s move marks a dramatic turning point — one that could redefine the world’s nuclear order for years to come.