WASHINGTON, November 6. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump can still go back on his decision to resume nuclear tests and save face by starting arms control talks with Russia, Professor Peter Kuznick, director of the Nuclear Studies Institute at the American University said commenting on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s order to consider starting nuclear weapons tests.
He told TASS that Trump is already under tremendous pressure at home and abroad to abandon this plan, making arms control talks with Russia a good option. He said that experts opposed resuming the testing, which would only harm the United States and strengthen its opponents, because of US’ technical and other advantages, including the fact that it conducted 1,054 nuclear tests, while China only 47.
According to him, after meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Trump is under tremendous pressure from political opponents and even some anti-Russian supporters in the US to ensure that he does not give in to the Russian leader. Trump wavered under this pressure, and relations between the two nuclear superpowers deteriorated dramatically, the political scientist believes. However, now he has alarmed even many of those who wanted him to develop a more hostile position towards Russia, Kuznik believes.
Given the cost, complexity, irrationality and duration of what Trump has called for, there is a real opportunity to convince him to change course and support arms control negotiations rather than open an era of nuclear anarchy, which would significantly increase the risk of nuclear war, the professor believes.
Trump's approval rating has collapsed, and the Republican Party suffered crushing defeats in the November 4 elections of the New York mayor and the governors of Virginia and New Jersey. Trump will be desperately looking for a way out, predicts Kuznick.
They gain nothing, but lose a lot
In Kuznick’s opinion, the United States gains nothing, but loses a lot in the event of a resumption of nuclear tests.
Putin's response to Trump's ignorant and reckless call for the United States to begin testing nuclear weapons "immediately" was completely predictable and expected. Putin has made it crystal clear that if the United States launches tests, Russia will act do the same. Russian Defense Minister Alexander Belousov and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov understandably spoke in favor of such a decision, the political scientist noted.
A small group of Trump's sycophants in the Congress supported his crazy idea. However, most American elected officials know how dangerous it would be to resume nuclear testing. Not only Russia and China, but also the other six nuclear powers, would have rushed to conduct such tests, the expert argued. Several other countries have already expressed interest in developing their own nuclear weapons, he added.
Putin's instructions
At a November 5 meeting with the Russian Security Council, Putin instructed the Foreign and Defense Ministries, the special services and civilian agencies to collect and analyze additional information and "make agreed proposals on the possible start of work on the preparation of nuclear weapons tests." Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS that the president had not given instructions to begin preparing the tests. Putin "instructed to work out the issue of the expediency of starting preparations for such tests," Peskov explained.