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President Donald Trump on Thursday vowed to begin testing US nuclear weapons “on an equal basis” with Russia and China, heralding a potentially major shift in decades of US policy at a time of growing tensions between the world’s nuclear-armed superpowers.

The test comes days after President Vladimir V. Putin announced the previous trial of another Russian nuclear weapon.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, dressed in a military uniform, announced on Oct. 26, 2025, that Russia had successfully tested a nuclear-powered missile. If true, such a weapon could provide Russia with a unique military capability that also has broader political implications.

President Trump said he’s directed the Pentagon to “immediately” resume nuclear weapons testing for the first time since 1992, saying it must be done “on an equal basis” with Russia and China. Morning Joe weighs in on the move and why it appears “aimed principally at Russia.

Trump announced late Thursday that he had ordered the Pentagon to begin testing nuclear weapons on an “equal basis” with Russia and China. The move would mark the first time the United States would conduct nuclear weapons tests since 1992, when then-President George H.W. Bush implemented a unilateral testing moratorium.