Russia has begun working on President Vladimir Putin’s order to prepare proposals for a possible nuclear test, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Saturday. The announcement came through Russia’s state news agency TASS.

Lavrov confirmed that the directive, issued during a Security Council meeting on November 5, is now being implemented. “Regarding President Putin’s instruction at the Security Council meeting on November 5, it has been accepted for implementation and is being worked on. The public will be informed of the results,” Lavrov was quoted as saying.

Triggered by US Nuclear Testing Plan

This decision follows US President Donald Trump’s declaration last week that Washington would restart nuclear testing. The move has heightened tensions between the two major nuclear powers.

Lavrov said Moscow had not yet received any official clarification from Washington about Trump’s announcement.

Relations between the United States and Russia have worsened sharply in recent weeks. President Trump cancelled a planned summit with Putin and imposed new sanctions on Moscow over its ongoing war in Ukraine.

Russia Warns Against US Testing Move

A day earlier, Russia urged the United States to clarify Trump’s recent comments on resuming nuclear tests. The Russian Foreign Ministry warned that such a move could lead to “serious responses” from other countries.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova raised the concern during a press briefing in Moscow on Friday.

Putin’s Retaliatory Directive

Amid the uncertainty over Washington’s plans, President Putin instructed his top officials on Wednesday to prepare proposals for a potential Russian nuclear test. The order is widely seen as a possible countermeasure if the US proceeds with testing.

Russia has not conducted a nuclear test since 1991, when the Soviet Union collapsed. Along with the United States, it still holds the world’s largest nuclear arsenal.