Brussels criticizes Russia's nuclear rhetoric, Moscow responds to Trump

The European Union on Thursday urged Russia to stop nuclear threats and asked all sides to avoid steps that could trigger a new arms race.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday ordered officials to draw up a plan for a possible nuclear test. Post-Soviet Russia has never tested a nuclear weapon. The Soviet Union last tested in the early 1990s, the United States in 1992 and China in 1996.

The Kremlin made the statement in response to US President Donald Trump's words. He announced nuclear weapons testing at the end of October, arguing that the US must not fall behind Russia and China.

"We all still need to get some clarification from the US side, because neither Russia nor China has resumed any nuclear tests," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told RT television on Wednesday in comments quoted by TASS news agency.

He stressed that both Russia and China remain committed to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and that Russia has no information about any new tests. President Putin has previously announced that if another country resumes tests, Russia will respond in the same way.

(reuters, max)