In a bold move, President Trump announced on Wednesday that he has directed the Department of Defense to immediately start testing U.S. nuclear weapons on a level playing field with China and Russia. This directive underscores the administration’s resolve to maintain a strategic edge in nuclear capabilities.

Trump took to social media to highlight the United States’ nuclear arsenal, declaring, “The United States possesses more nuclear weapons than any other nation.” He attributed this achievement to significant updates and renovations made during his first term in office. Despite his personal aversion to the destructive potential of these weapons, Trump emphasized, “I HATED to do it, but had no choice!” He also noted that while Russia holds the second-largest stockpile, China is rapidly advancing and could reach comparable levels within five years.

The Pentagon has yet to respond to requests for comment regarding this new directive. The announcement came just ahead of a scheduled meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea, marking their first face-to-face encounter since 2019.

During the meeting with Xi and the Chinese delegation, Trump sidestepped a reporter’s question about the nuclear testing initiative, choosing to remain silent as journalists were ushered out of the room. The timing and nature of this announcement add a layer of complexity to the diplomatic discussions expected to take place between the two leaders.

Trump later ignored a question from a reporter about the move while meeting with Xi and the Chinese delegation in South Korea just before reporters were ushered out of the room.

The U.S. halted the explosive testing of nuclear arms in 1992.  

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