The US president has not denied the resumption of underground nuclear tests

US President Donald Trump refused to answer journalists' questions directly on Friday during his flight to Palm Beach, Florida, about whether the United States would soon resume underground nuclear testing. He replied only briefly: “You'll find out very soon.”

The media inquiry followed his Thursday post on the social network Truth Social, in which he announced his order to the US military to “immediately resume the process of nuclear weapons testing” — for the first time since 1992. The announcement came shortly before a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

He justified his decision by saying he wanted to create “equal conditions” with other nuclear powers. According to estimates, Beijing has doubled its arsenal to 600 warheads, while Russia recently tested the new Poseidon torpedo with a nuclear warhead.

Many point out that returning to testing would take years and could jeopardize international agreements. It is unclear at this stage whether the tests will be explosive or flight tests.

(reuters, max)