The press secretary of the Kremlin, Dmitry Peskov, stated on Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin has not issued any instructions to begin preparations for nuclear tests, and their feasibility must first be evaluated. Peskov said: 'The President has not given any orders to start preparations. This must be a very serious, justified, and carefully considered decision. Our experts will now work on that,' the Russian news agency Sputnik reported. Peskov added that 'Putin has repeatedly confirmed that Russia is committed to its obligations under the nuclear test ban'. Peskov clarified that 'if another country violates its obligations under the nuclear test ban, we will have to do the same from the perspective of maintaining parity'. Earlier, US President Donald Trump announced that he had ordered the resumption of nuclear tests 'on an equal footing with other countries that he claims to have relevant programs'. Russia's Permanent Representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, confirmed that Russia must be prepared in case the United States resumes nuclear testing.
