Putin lapdog sends chilling nuclear warning to US and West

A top Russian official has issued a chilling warning that Moscow will retaliate “immediately” if any country, particularly the United States, resumes nuclear testing.

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, accused Washington of preparing its nuclear testing infrastructure and claimed that Russia is closely monitoring these developments.

“If a country with the capability makes the erroneous decision to conduct nuclear tests and Washington is clearly in our focus then we will retaliate immediately,” Ryabkov said, according to Russian state media.

His remarks follow recent comments from President Putin at the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi, where he hinted that “some countries” were preparing for nuclear tests and warned that Russia would respond in kind.

This latest warning comes amid a sharp deterioration in U.S.–Russia relations both nations hold the world’s largest nuclear arsenals. The New START Treaty, the last remaining nuclear arms control pact between the two powers, is set to expire in February. The agreement, originally signed by Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev, limits each country to 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and 700 delivery systems.

Tensions have been rising not only over nuclear issues but also over the stalled Ukraine peace talks. Ryabkov blamed European nations for “destroying” diplomatic momentum, claiming that Western interference has hindered progress.

“The strong momentum that followed the Trump–Putin summit has been exhausted. This is the result of the Europeans’ destructive actions,” Ryabkov added.

President Donald Trump had earlier hosted Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, in an effort to revive peace negotiations, but little progress has been made since. Recently, Trump described Russia as a “paper tiger” and expressed his disappointment with Putin, signaling a major shift in his stance.

In a notable change, Trump has now said that Ukraine has the ability to reclaim all of its occupied territory, marking a clear departure from his earlier neutral tone on the conflict.

As the nuclear rhetoric intensifies, the world watches closely hoping that diplomacy prevails before another Cold War–style arms race begins.