News - World: In line with directives issued by President Vladimir Putin, the Russian foreign ministry has begun implementing measures to assess the nation’s readiness regarding nuclear capabilities, says Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

“As for the instruction of President Vladimir Putin at the meeting of the Security Council on November 5, it was accepted for execution and is in the works. The public will be informed about the results,” the top diplomat told reporters on Saturday.

During the meeting, Putin tasked the foreign and defense ministries, the country’s special services, and relevant civilian agencies with preparing proposals on the possibility of conducting nuclear weapons tests, he stated.

Lavrov noted that Moscow has yet to receive clarification regarding recent statements by US President Donald Trump on the resumption of Washington’s nuclear tests.

On October 30, Trump ordered Washington to “immediately” resume nuclear testing on an “equal basis” with other nuclear-armed states, effectively ending the moratorium in place since 1992.

He alleged that he “HATED” to issue the order "because of the tremendous destructive power,” but “had no choice!” because of his self-proclaimed fear of other nuclear armed powers’ catching up with Washington.

“It is unclear whether it was a question of testing nuclear weapons carriers, of conducting so-called subcritical tests...or maybe Donald Trump really talked about Washington's intention to resume full-scale nuclear tests,” Lavrov said.

“The comments of Washington's representatives, which get into the public space, rather indicate that they do not have a common understanding of what the US president meant,” the official added.

He emphasized that Russia was closely monitoring global developments, while ensuring its own security protocols remained transparent and fully compliant with international obligations.

During the meeting, Putin cautioned that Moscow would respond with reciprocal measures should the United States resume nuclear weapons testing.

Experts warn that Trump’s decision risks unraveling decades of international efforts aimed at preventing a recurrence of past tragedies.

They further caution that the Israeli regime, the United States’ closest ally in West Asia and the region’s sole possessor of nuclear arms, may attempt to leverage the knowledge gained from these tests to try to rationalize expanding its own lethal nuclear capabilities.

Source: Press TV