Trump ordered the U.S. military to resume nuclear weapons testing. Why were they stopped and why restart now? What to know.

Trump said the U.S. will test nuclear weapons “on an equal basis” with Russia and China. None of the three countries has tested live nuclear weapons since the 1990s.

The Kremlin warned Donald Trump that Russia will resume testing its nuclear weapons if the US does the same. Just hours after Russia revealed it tested a nuclear-capable underwater drone on Thursday, Mr Trump ordered the Pentagon to immediately begin testing America’s own nuclear arsenal.

U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the U.S. military on Thursday to immediately resume testing nuclear weapons after a gap of 33 years, minutes before beginning a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The president said he wanted testing to occur “on an equal basis” with Russia and China, just before he met his Chinese counterpart for high-stakes trade talks.

Questions have arisen after Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country tested two nuclear-capable weapons this week.

Russia has successfully tested a nuclear-powered super-torpedo designed to create radioactive tsunamis and wipe out coastal cities