US President Donald Trump, ahead of his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday in South Korea, said he has instructed the Pentagon (Department of War) to immediately start testing nuclear weapons on an "equal basis" with other nuclear powers.
Taking to his Truth Social account, Trump said, "The United States has more Nuclear Weapons than any other country. This was accomplished, including a complete update and renovation of existing weapons, during my First Term in office."
"Because of the tremendous destructive power, I HATED to do it, but had no choice! Russia is second, and China is a distant third, but will be even within 5 years. Because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis. That process will begin immediately," Trump added.
The post came less than an hour before Trump is set to meet with Chinese president Xi Jinping in South Korea on Thursday morning in an effort to come to a trade war truce. The meeting is the first between the two since 2019.
It also came after Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Russia had successfully tested a Poseidon nuclear-powered super torpedo. Military analysts say that it is capable of devastating coastal regions by triggering vast radioactive ocean swells, Reuters reported.
As Trump has toughened both his rhetoric and his stance on Russia, Putin has publicly flexed his nuclear muscles with the test of a new Burevestnik cruise missile on October 21 and nuclear launch drills on October 22.
Meanwhile, the United States last tested a nuclear weapon in 1992.
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