Story perspectives

Trump Orders US Nuclear Tests, Citing Russia, China

4/30/2026

Summary

Story summary

U.S. President Donald Trump ordered Defense Department to resume nuclear testing “on equal basis” after accusing Russia and China of testing.
Robert Floyd, executive secretary of Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization, warned that restarting tests could trigger a cascade, as its monitoring system detects any explosion.
The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty is unenforced because nations—including the United States, China and Russia, which withdrew in 2023—have not ratified it.

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Story summary

U.S. President Donald Trump ordered Defense Department to resume nuclear testing “on equal basis” after accusing Russia and China of testing.
Robert Floyd, executive secretary of Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization, warned that restarting tests could trigger a cascade, as its monitoring system detects any explosion.
The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty is unenforced because nations—including the United States, China and Russia, which withdrew in 2023—have not ratified it.