Edward Lucas: Centre for European Policy Analysis Security Analyst says nuclear testing would be destabilising

There's an assurance that Trump won't follow through with his nuclear weapon testing comments.

The US President posted on social media saying he has no choice but to restart testing, because of other countries' testing programs.

It follows him denouncing Russia for testing a nuclear-powered missile, which the Kremlin denies.

Centre for European Policy Analysis Security Analyst Edward Lucas says if Trump followed through, it would be hugely destabilising. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
US China meeting seemed to go well. Twist of sorts,
though the US President announced the resumption of nuclear weapons
testing minutes before that meeting. This was in response allegedly
to Russia touting the nuclear power underwater drone. It would
locus senior fellow and security analyst at the sty of
a European policy analysis is back with us. Morning to you, Edward,
good morning hot air or reel hot air. Then we

(00:22):
can all relax, I suppose can't We.

Speaker 2 (00:25):
May bit seriously. I mean, what is true is that
Russia has tested two weapons which are really quite alarming.
One is a nuclear powered missile and the other is
a drone which could carry a nuclear warhead close to
the shoreline of an adversary country and detonated, setting off

(00:46):
as tsunami. And those are real weapons, and they are alarming,
and I think Trump is giving a sort of rhetorical
counter to that. Actually restarting real nuclear testing would be
enormous and very destabilizing change. The only country that conducts
nuclear tests is North Korea and is an international pariah

(01:09):
as a result. If the United States really started nuclear testing,
you'd certainly see the Chinese and the Russians doing the same,
and the doomsday clot would be moving another couple of
minutes close to midnight.

Speaker 1 (01:22):
It was funny my last question for this interview and
I was the doomsday clock moving. But I take it.
Let's go back at our America going to start, I
mean physically tangibly. Are they going to wind up testing?
Can they do it or will there's just sort of
be another news headline.

Speaker 2 (01:37):
I mean they could, but it would be a mammoth
technical operation to start, presumably underground nuclear testing. I don't
think we're going to go back to the days of
the Bikini Atoll on those atmospheric tests. But I think
Trump is very much the master of the SoundBite and

(01:58):
the headline, and often the follow through is very different.
So you've seen the way he's talked about dealing with
other countries with tariffs, and it ends up with a
lot of taggling and things sort of more or less
go back to normal. He threatened to pull out of NATO.
He didn't do that, So I would be amazed if
we actually get real nuclear testing. I think what he's

(02:21):
saying to the is we don't like the fact you've
got these new weapons, and we are urging you to
remember that we have cards to play as well.

Speaker 1 (02:30):
Somewhat encouraging it would appreciate your expertise as always sid
with Lucas Sacinia, fellow and security analysts at the same
of be European Policy Analysis, so I don't need to
ask my doomsday question. For more from the mic Asking Breakfast,
listen live to news talks it'd be from six am weekdays,
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