Cold war redux? Putin and Trump’s nuclear tests spark fears of a new arms race

New nuclear race rekindled fears

Russia has conducted successive tests of two of its most advanced strategic weapons — the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile and the Poseidon nuclear-capable underwater drone — signalling what experts describe as the beginning of a new phase in global nuclear competition.

President Vladimir Putin personally announced both milestones, hailing Russia’s “unmatched” capabilities and defying mounting Western pressure, particularly from the United States under President Donald Trump.

The announcements coincided with Trump’s revelation that Washington would resume nuclear weapons testing for the first time in more than three decades. Together, these moves have revived fears of a new arms race reminiscent of the Cold War.

Putin confirms Poseidon nuclear drone test

Speaking at a meeting in Moscow with Russian soldiers wounded in Ukraine, Putin said Russia had successfully tested the Poseidon, a nuclear-powered underwater drone capable of carrying a nuclear warhead that could trigger radioactive tsunamis along enemy coastlines.

“For the first time, we managed not only to launch it from its carrier submarine … but also to activate its nuclear power unit, allowing the vehicle to operate for a certain period of time,” Putin declared.

He added, “In terms of speed and operating depth, there is nothing like this unmanned vehicle anywhere in the world, and it’s unlikely that anything similar will appear in the near future. And there is no way to intercept it.”

According to Putin, the Poseidon’s compact nuclear reactor is “100 times smaller” than those used on conventional submarines but delivers “extraordinary power,” surpassing even the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, known by its NATO name “Satan II.”

Though Moscow withheld details about the test site, it was the first time Russia admitted to successfully activating Poseidon’s nuclear propulsion system during a full-scale trial. The system is believed to be launched from Belgorod-class submarines, designed to carry the massive drone.

Inside the Poseidon’s capabilities

The Poseidon — named after the ancient Greek god of the sea — represents one of the most radical weapons developed since the Cold War. Combining elements of a drone and torpedo, it is built for stealth, endurance, and overwhelming destructive capacity.

Open-source intelligence suggests the drone is about 20 metres long, weighs roughly 100 tonnes, and can travel underwater at up to 200 km/h — at depths too great for interception. Nuclear propulsion grants it unlimited range, allowing it to cross oceans undetected.

Experts believe Poseidon can carry a two-megaton nuclear warhead, enough to destroy a coastal city or cause devastating radioactive flooding. Its development could redefine nuclear deterrence, bypassing traditional land, air, and sea systems.

Moscow regards Poseidon as a strategic equaliser, capable of penetrating any future US or NATO missile defence shields. Putin has long argued that Washington’s withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in 2001 forced Russia to innovate new offensive systems to restore strategic balance.

Burevestnik: The 'Storm Petrel' missile with no limits

Just days before the Poseidon revelation, Russia tested another nuclear-powered system — the Burevestnik cruise missile, hailed by the Kremlin as an engineering triumph.

General Valery Gerasimov, Russia’s chief of the General Staff, briefed Putin that the test was “a complete success,” claiming the missile flew 14,000 kilometres over 15 hours using nuclear fuel. “It conducted manoeuvres demonstrating its high capabilities in evading missile and air defence systems,” Gerasimov said.

Putin described Burevestnik as an “engineering breakthrough,” noting that its miniature reactor is “1,000 times smaller than a submarine’s” and reaches operational power within minutes.

The Burevestnik — meaning “storm petrel” in Russian — is the world’s first known nuclear-powered cruise missile, theoretically granting it unlimited range and endurance. Unlike conventional missiles, it can remain airborne for days, re-entering contested airspace from unexpected directions.

Its unpredictable flight path could render NATO missile defence systems obsolete, heightening the risks of miscalculation and escalation.

Putin’s nuclear signalling

The timing of these tests underscores Moscow’s determination to project military strength amid worsening ties with Washington. Trump recently dismissed Russia as a “paper tiger” for its faltering war in Ukraine — remarks that may have spurred Putin to stage a dramatic show of force.

Shortly after the weapons trials, Putin oversaw large-scale nuclear launch drills on 22 October, involving all three legs of Russia’s nuclear triad — intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-launched missiles, and air-launched cruise missiles.

Russian state television aired footage of Putin in uniform directing the exercises, underscoring his message that Russia’s deterrent remains intact despite Western sanctions and battlefield setbacks.

Hours later, Putin authorised Russia’s withdrawal from a 2000 plutonium disposal pact with the United States, citing “new anti-Russian steps that radically change the strategic balance.”

“It’s an attempt to exert pressure on Russia, but no self-respecting country and self-respecting people make any decisions under pressure,” he said, warning that any Ukrainian strike deep inside Russia using Western-supplied weapons would provoke “a very serious, if not to say stunning, response.”

Trump orders US nuclear tests 

President Donald Trump added fuel to the tension by announcing via Truth Social that he had instructed the Pentagon to resume nuclear weapons testing — the first such directive in over 30 years.

“Because of other countries’ testing programmes, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis. That process will begin immediately,” Trump posted while en route to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in Busan, South Korea.

He added, “Russia is second, and China is a distant third, but will be even within 5 years.”

It remains unclear whether Trump referred to full-scale nuclear explosions or to non-explosive flight tests. The US last conducted a nuclear detonation in 1992, while Russia and China have not tested since the mid-1990s.

Reactions in Washington were swift. Representative Dina Titus of Nevada vowed to block any move to restart testing, while experts warned it could “blow apart the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.”

Daryl Kimball, head of the Arms Control Association, criticised the plan: “Trump is misinformed and out of touch. The U.S. has no technical, military, or political reason to resume nuclear explosive testing for the first time since 1992.”

Kimball noted that preparing the Nevada test site would take “at least 36 months,” implying the announcement was largely political theatre.

China’s expanding arsenal

China’s rapidly growing nuclear programme has intensified the triangular rivalry. The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) estimates that Beijing’s stockpile has doubled from around 300 warheads in 2020 to 600 in 2025, and could reach 1,000 by 2030.

At its September Victory Day parade, China displayed new long-range delivery systems capable of striking the continental United States, underscoring its advancing deterrence posture.

Beijing has dismissed Trump’s proposal for trilateral arms control talks, calling it “unreasonable and unrealistic” given its smaller arsenal compared with the US and Russia.

A new era of nuclear competition

Analysts warn that with Moscow and Washington abandoning past restraint, and Beijing rapidly modernising its arsenal, the post–Cold War arms control framework is collapsing.

Russia’s plutonium pact withdrawal, Trump’s revival of nuclear testing, and the absence of a follow-up to the New START Treaty all point to a dangerously unstable strategic landscape.

As Putin and Trump flex their nuclear ambitions and China expands its arsenal, the world may be witnessing the opening chapter of a new nuclear arms race — one fuelled as much by political symbolism as by military necessity.