Putin orders Defence Ministry and Rosatom to be prepared for nuclear tests

The Russian Defence Ministry must be prepared for new nuclear weapons tests, President Vladimir Putin said during his Address to the Federal Assembly.

Putin also instructed Russia's State Atomic Energy Agency Rosatom to be prepared for such tests as well.

Russia will not be the first to test nuclear weapons, Putin said. Russia will conduct nuclear tests only if the United States carries out such a test first.

"Of course, we are not going to do it first. Yet, if the United States tests [nuclear weapons], we will test them too," the president said.