Donald Trump has decided to reverse a America's policy of not testing nuclear weapons, which was established soon after the Cold War ended decades ago. The US president has ordered his Department of War to start testing the weapons of mass destruction immediately.
For context, the last time US tested a nuclear weapon was when George H. W. Bush was still president.
Nicknamed Project Divider, it was the 1,054th nuclear test conducted by the US. Just days after that, the White House issued a moratorium that officially ended the Cold War.
Russia, China's nuclear prowess
Just moments before meeting Xi Jinping, Trump wrote on Truth Social that "because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis".
He added that in terms of nuclear weapons stockpiles, China was a "distant third" behind the United States and Russia "but will be even in 5 years".
Russia has also played a big role behind Trump's decision. Moscow has been testing its nuclear capabilities at warp speed. Just last week, President Vladimir Putin said that Russia had successfully tested a nuclear-capable, nuclear-powered underwater drone, in defiance of Washington's warnings.
Putin announced on Wednesday the successful testing of a nuclear-capable, nuclear-powered underwater drone, the second weapons test in days.
In televised remarks broadcast from a military hospital treating Russian soldiers wounded in Ukraine, Putin said there was "no way to intercept" the unmanned drone torpedo dubbed "Poseidon."
He said Poseidon can travel faster than conventional submarines, dive deep and reach any continent in the world.
After a first test of a cruise missile on Sunday, Trump chided Putin saying he ought to end the war in Ukraine "instead of testing missiles."
The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) says nine countries possess nuclear weapons: Russia, the United States, China, France, United Kingdom, Pakistan, India, Israel and North Korea.
Of the roughly 12,331 nuclear warheads ICAN counts, more than 5,500 belong to Russia while the United States owns 5,044.
Trump offered no details of the precise nature of the testing to be undertaken, but said the process would "begin immediately."
