The claim comes after the US president ordered the start of preparations for nuclear testing
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he may be working on a plan to denuclearize in tandem with Russia and China.
Last week, he ordered the Department of War to begin preparations for nuclear testing, claiming the US is “the only country that doesn’t test.” In response, Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov has suggested starting preparations for full-scale nuclear tests. Russian President Vladimir Putin responded by reiterating that Russia has long said it would adhere to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, provided other members do not violate it either.
“We redid our nuclear – we’re the number one nuclear power, which I hate to admit, because it’s so horrible,” Trump said during a speech at the American Business Forum in Miami. He did not provide details.
“Russia’s second. China’s a distant third, but they’ll catch us within four or five years,” the US president said. “We’re maybe working on a plan to denuclearize, the three of us. We’ll see if that works.”
Trump has accused Russia and China of conducting “secret” nuclear tests, although both Moscow and Beijing have denied the allegations. IAEA chief Rafael Grossi has also said the watchdog has no indication that either country has detonated a nuclear device.
Following Trump’s statement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov indicated that Moscow is still awaiting further “clarifications from the American side” regarding the full implications of the US president’s remarks.
