Russia says that the country cannot (Image: Getty)
is considering taking steps to resume nuclear tests according to Deputy Foreign Minister .
Ryabkov gave the chilling warning as he cautioned against US president-elect from conducting nuclear testing in an interview with newspaper Kommersant.
Such a move would be significant escalation of tensions which are currently at their highest since the Cold War following
Neither country has conducted a nuclear test since the early 1990s but it is believed that the Trump administration did consider doing so during his first term in office, something Ryabkov described as “extremely hostile” toward .
signed the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), which prohibits nuclear explosions for civilian or military purposes, in 1996 and ratified it in 2000.
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The Deputy Foreign Minister made the comments as he discussed an impending second Trump presidency (Image: Getty)
However, after launching his illegal war in , withdrew from the agreement, bringing the country in line with the who are one of eight nations not to have ratified the agreement.
Speaking about the possibility of tests Ryabkov said: “I would simply like to say in this regard that the international situation is currently extremely difficult, American policy in its various aspects is today extremely hostile toward us.
“So the options for us to act in the interests of ensuring security and the potential measures and actions we have to do this—and to send politically appropriate signals…does not rule anything out,” according to translators from Reuters.
Most nuclear powers are currently in the process of upgrading their nuclear arsenals as they seek to modernise their capability in the face of rising global tensions.
There are fears that the is considering resuming nuclear tests as a means of developing new weapons and demonstrating strength to countries threatening their global hegemony.
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Donald Trump is believed to have considered testing a nuclear bomb during his first presidency (Image: Getty)
possesses 5,580 warheads, whilst the has 5,044, meaning the two nations control 88% of the world’s nuclear weapons.
It remains unclear what approach the new administration will take in respect of .
Throughout the election campaign, repeatedly claimed that he would be able to end on his first day in office, although details on how this would be achieved remain to be seen.
The president-elect has spoken openly about his respect for the Russian leader as well as positive relationship which has included several phone calls between the pair since Trump left office in 2021.