On Wednesday, President Trump revealed that he has directed the Department of Defense to commence testing U.S. nuclear weapons, aiming to match the efforts of China and Russia. This decision marks a significant development in the realm of international military capabilities.

Trump took to social media to assert, “The United States possesses the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons in the world. This was achieved through a comprehensive overhaul and modernization of our arsenal during my first term. Despite the immense power involved, I was reluctant to proceed, but felt it was necessary. Russia follows closely behind, while China, although currently in third, is projected to catch up within five years.”

The Pentagon has been contacted by The Hill for their response to this directive, though no comment has been made available as of now.

This announcement on TruthSocial came just ahead of a scheduled meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, marking their first in-person encounter since 2019. The meeting is set to take place in South Korea on Thursday.

During his meeting with Xi and the Chinese delegation, Trump sidestepped a reporter’s inquiry concerning the nuclear testing plan, as journalists were subsequently escorted from the room.

It is worth noting that the United States ceased explosive nuclear testing in 1992, making this potential resumption a noteworthy shift in U.S. defense strategy.

Former Trump’s national security advisor, Robert C. O’Brien, encouraged Trump, a presidential candidate, in June last year to test nuclear weapons if he wins the 2024 White House election.  

“Washington must test new nuclear weapons for reliability and safety in the real world for the first time since 1992—not just by using computer models,” O’Brien wrote in an article for the Foreign Affairs magazine, which was published in June last year. “If China and Russia continue to refuse to engage in good-faith arms control talks, the United States should also resume production of uranium-235 and plutonium-239, the primary fissile isotopes of nuclear weapons.”  

Russia claimed it tested its new nuclear-capable cruise missile, known as the Burevestnik, last week, which purportedly flew 8,700 miles.

The test was met with international condemnation, including from Trump, who called it “inappropriate” as he is pushing the Kremlin to come to the table and negotiate a deal to end the Russia-Ukraine war.  

“You’ve got to get the war ended. A war that should have taken one week is now in its soon fourth year,” the president said on Monday. “That’s what you ought to do, instead of testing missiles.” 

“We test missiles all the time. They’re not playing games with us, and we’re not playing games with them either,” Trump added.  

On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that Moscow successfully tested a new atomic-powered and nuclear-capable underwater drone. The test was conducted on Tuesday, with Putin claiming the nuclear reactor that powers the Poseidon drone is “100 times smaller” than those on submarines.  

Updated at 10:27 p.m. EDT