Trump makes headlines for plenty of his comments. But this one may take the cake.
And now a key Trump ally backed a controversial nuclear move by Donald Trump.
US Official Defends Trump’s Stance on Resuming Nuclear Tests
A senior U.S. diplomat has supported President Donald Trump’s earlier suggestion to restart nuclear testing, citing ongoing concerns over activities by Russia, China, and North Korea that may violate testing moratoriums.
The remarks came from U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Howard Solomon during a November 10 meeting of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization in Vienna.
“As President Trump indicated, the United States will begin testing activities on an equal basis with other nuclear-armed states. This process will begin immediately and proceed in a manner fully consistent with our commitment to transparency and national security,” Solomon said.
He added context, stating, “For any who question this decision, context is important. Since 2019, including in this forum, the United States has raised concerns that Russia and China have not adhered to the zero-yield nuclear test moratorium,” he said, adding that the concerns “remain valid.”
“Our concerns with Russia and China are in addition to the activities of North Korea, which has conducted six nuclear explosive tests this century,” Solomon said.
Concerns Over Potential Low-Yield Tests by Adversaries
Solomon’s comments highlighted U.S. suspicions of possible low-yield supercritical nuclear tests by Russia and China—conducted underground in ways that evade global detection networks.
These concerns have been publicly raised in State Department reports since 2019 regarding sites in China’s Xinjiang region and Russia’s Arctic archipelago.
Trump addressed the issue in a November CBS “60 Minutes” interview, noting, “Russia’s testing, and China’s testing, but they don’t talk about it. You know, we’re an open society. We’re different. We talk about it.”
“They don’t go and tell you about it,” Trump continued. “You know, as powerful as they are, this is a big world. You don’t necessarily know where they’re testing. They — they test way under — underground where people don’t know exactly what’s happening with the test.”
Both Russia and China maintain they adhere to testing moratoriums.
Russian Criticism and Broader Arms Control Tensions
Russia strongly opposed the U.S. position, with Permanent Representative Mikhail Ulyanov warning, “The resumption of nuclear testing could cause significant damage to the nuclear non-proliferation regime and international security.”
“We consider it fundamentally important that the U.S. side provide a clear and detailed explanation of its position on the resumption of nuclear testing,” he added. “We expect the U.S. to respond appropriately and without further delay.”
Ulyanov rejected accusations against Russia, calling them “completely unacceptable and unsubstantiated allegations” and “false accusations. We consider such escalatory rhetoric unacceptable.”
Solomon countered, expressing surprise at the statements “coming from a state that has not adhered to the zero-yield nuclear test moratorium,” while raising additional issues like Russia’s New START violations, its large non-strategic nuclear arsenal, and related doctrine.
