UN warned that nuclear tests “must never be allowed under any circumstances” after Donald Trump announced plans to resume them in the United States. 

The organization reaffirmed its categorical opposition to atomic tests, calling them “unacceptable under any circumstances.” 

During a press briefing in New York, UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said that Secretary-General António Guterres “maintains a firm position: nuclear tests must never be allowed.”

Haq reminded that Guterres has repeatedly warned of the alarming risks of a new arms race that could lead to catastrophic consequences for global security. 

“The world must not forget the disastrous legacy of more than 2,000 nuclear weapons tests conducted over the last eight decades,” Haq emphasized, urging major powers to act responsibly in an increasingly volatile environment. 

The statement followed Trump’s announcement that his administration had instructed the Department of War to “immediately” begin a new nuclear testing program.

“Because of other countries’ testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to begin testing our nuclear weapons on equal terms. That process will start immediately,” he wrote on Truth Social. 

Trump’s announcements frighten the world

The president added that, although the decision was difficult, he had “no choice” given Russia’s growing military exercises. Trump also noted that the United States “has more nuclear weapons than any other country,” followed by Russia and China, but predicted that “the situation will level out in five years.”

He boasted that the U.S. completed a “full modernization and renewal of its existing arsenal” during his first term. 

UN expressed concern that Trump’s comments could mark a step backward in nonproliferation efforts made in recent decades. The organization reiterated the importance of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) and called on global powers to act “with responsibility” in the face of renewed nuclear threats. 

“The world cannot afford to return to an era when nuclear tests were commonplace,” Haq said, echoing Guterres’s call to preserve progress on disarmament and international security. 

Trump’s statement came shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin oversaw what he described as “routine exercises” of Russia’s nuclear forces.

The drills included the launch of Yars intercontinental missiles from the Plesetsk site to Kamchatka, over 6,000 kilometers away, as well as submarine and bomber operations. 

These maneuvers followed the recent Russia–U.S. summit in Budapest, where Moscow rejected halting hostilities in Ukraine as a condition for resuming peace talks.