US President Donald Trump's decision to announce the “immediate” start of nuclear tests stems from a misunderstanding of Russian leader Vladimir Putin's words, said Bundeswehr Brigadier General Klaus Wittan in an interview with the German newspaper Die Welt.
“Trump says that the Americans want to do the same as everyone else. But this is a misunderstanding, because Putin was not talking about a nuclear test, but about testing a carrier rocket,“ he explained.
According to the general, Trump's statement should also be seen as an attempt to return to arms control negotiations in accordance with previous agreements with Moscow.
“Perhaps this is a new approach to return to arms control negotiations in accordance with Russia's proposal made a few days or weeks ago,“ Wittman said.
On October 26, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the completion of tests of the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile with an unlimited range. Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov noted in his report to the head of state that it demonstrated high capabilities for evading anti-missile and air defense systems. Gerasimov stressed that the cruise missile had completed a 14,000-kilometer test flight and that more were to come.
On Thursday, US President Donald Trump ordered the immediate start of nuclear weapons tests "on an equal footing" with other countries that have such programs. Yesterday, amid reports that he may have misrepresented the situation with nuclear tests, the president said he knew what the US was doing and where.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded that the current moratorium on nuclear weapons tests had not been lifted. Commenting on Trump's statements, Robert Floyd, executive secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization, pointed out that any nuclear tests would undermine international stability and security.
Earlier, Putin announced that Russia was ready to continue to comply with the limits of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) for one year after February 5, 2026. He explained that steps to comply with START restrictions would be effective if the United States reciprocated. Trump, in turn, called the Russian leader's proposal "a good idea."