Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that preparations are underway to formulate a proposal for a possible Russian nuclear test, following instructions from President Vladimir Putin. State news agency TASS reported the development on Saturday (8 November).
This also makes it clear that Russia’s top diplomat Sergei Lavrov remains in his post, despite days of intense speculation about whether he had been removed. Both Reuters and CNN reported the story.
According to TASS, Lavrov said,“Following the directive given by President Vladimir Putin at the Security Council meeting on 5 November, work is underway to implement it. The public will be informed of the results.”
Putin’s instruction came after U.S. President Donald Trump made an unexpected announcement stating that the United States would resume nuclear testing.
TASS further reported that Russia has so far received no clarification from the United States about Trump’s directive.
In recent weeks, Russia–U.S. relations have sharply deteriorated. Frustrated by the lack of progress in ending the Ukraine war, Trump cancelled his scheduled meeting with Putin and imposed sanctions on Russia for the first time since returning to the White House in January.
Meanwhile, Lavrov was absent from Wednesday’s meeting of Russia’s Security Council, which fueled questions about whether he still held his ministerial position.
On Friday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov sought to calm speculation surrounding Lavrov’s absence. He told reporters:
“There is no truth in these reports. Lavrov continues to serve as foreign minister—there is no doubt about that.”
