U. S. President Donald Trump announced that the United States plans to conduct nuclear tests, claiming that other countries are already doing so.

However, retired Lieutenant General and professor at the Higher School of Economics Evgeny Buzhinsky questioned the seriousness of this statement, calling many of Trump’s remarks emotional rather than factual. He expressed doubt that the United States is actually prepared to carry out such tests, but noted that if Washington does proceed, Russia would respond in kind.

Buzhinsky pointed out that it is unclear what exactly Trump’s move would be a response to. He said there have been no recent reports of nuclear tests conducted by Russia, China, or any other country. In his view, Trump’s rhetoric appears to be driven by a desire to escalate tensions or draw public attention, rather than by real strategic necessity.

The expert explained that nuclear tests are typically conducted for two reasons — either to verify new types of warheads or to check the condition of older ones when computer simulations are no longer sufficient. He emphasized that the United States and Russia have different approaches to maintaining their nuclear arsenals.

According to Buzhinsky, Washington shut down most of its warhead production facilities years ago and now relies primarily on computer modeling. Russia, by contrast, has preserved a network of closed cities inherited from the Soviet atomic industry, where both production and disposal of nuclear warheads continue. This system, he said, allows Russia to keep its arsenal in a «fresh» and combat-ready condition.

Buzhinsky also described Trump as inconsistent in his statements, remarking that the U.S. president often «says one thing today and another tomorrow». He contrasted this with Russian President Vladimir Putin, noting that Putin’s words tend to align with his actions.

He recalled that when Putin announced the development of new types of weapons in 2018, Western media dismissed it as «cartoons» and «fantasy». Yet in subsequent years, Russia successfully developed systems such as the Kinzhal and Sarmat missiles — technologies that Buzhinsky said were once considered impossible but have since become reality.