Moscow, 5 November 2025 (dpa/MIA) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has instructed his government to assess the feasibility of possible nuclear weapons tests, according to a Kremlin transcript of a Security Council meeting on Wednesday.

Putin instructed the defence and foreign ministries, intelligence agencies, and civilian departments to gather information that could be used to draft proposals for preparations for nuclear tests.

At the same time, Putin said that Moscow has always adhered to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and would continue to do so as long as other countries refrain from testing nuclear weapons.

"If the US or other signatory states conduct such tests, Russia will respond accordingly," he said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Putin’s instruction did not amount to an order to begin testing, the TASS news agency reported. Rather, he said, the president was only having the advisability of starting preparations examined.

Putin has recently stepped up rhetoric surrounding Russia's nuclear capabilities, highlighting new weapons such as the nuclear-powered Burevestnik cruise missile and the Poseidon nuclear-powered torpedo.

His latest comments come after President Donald Trump announced last week that the United States would resume testing nuclear weapons, without providing details.

At the Security Council meeting, Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov and Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) chief Sergey Naryshkin criticized Washington for not clarifying its plans.

Alexander Bortnikov, head of the Federal Security Service (FSB), asked Putin for more time to assess the situation.

Defence Minister Andrei Belousov argued that as the United States is expanding its strike capabilities, Russia must immediately begin "preparations for comprehensive nuclear tests."

Photo: EPA