FLASH
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US President Donald Trump announced that he has instructed the Defense Department to begin testing American nuclear weapons "immediately" in response to testing programs by rival countries, an announcement that came moments before he is due to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Trump said in a social media post that the US "has more nuclear weapons than any other country," ranking Russia second and China "a distant third, but it will be within 5 years."
"Due to testing programs by other countries, I have instructed the War Department to begin testing our nuclear weapons on an equal footing. This process will begin immediately," Trump said.
This would mark a major shift in US policy. The US “has observed a voluntary moratorium on nuclear explosive testing since 1992,” according to Congress.
Trump is currently on his way to Busan, South Korea, before meeting with Xi.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia has successfully tested the Burevestnik missile, which is equipped with a nuclear-powered engine and has the capability to carry nuclear weapons. Now, Moscow is looking for ways to use it at a time when the Kremlin's war in Ukraine is dragging on.
The Kremlin released a video on October 26 of a meeting between Putin and the chief of the general staff, Valery Gerasimov, which reportedly took place at a joint forces group location.
The missile, nicknamed Skyfall by NATO, has been in development for more than a decade. It is one of several new systems that Russian designers have focused on as the Kremlin pours funds into weapons development as part of an unacknowledged arms race — mostly against the United States.
This missile has attracted particular attention from arms control and intelligence experts, partly because of the technology it uses, but also because of its previous failures.
Putin's announcement comes as the New START treaty, which limits the US and Russia's nuclear arsenals to 1,550 strategic warheads and 700 strategic launchers for each side, is set to expire early next year.
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