After the cancellation of the meeting between Presidents Trump and Putin in Budapest, the United States and Russia have started a muscle-flexing competition.
Moscow tested the new nuclear-powered Burevestnik missile, an action that was seen as a message to Washington.
Also on Wednesday, President Vladimir Putin announced that he had successfully tested the new nuclear-powered underwater drone, "Poseidon."
Putin declared the new weapon to be elusive and has already been labeled a “machine of destruction.” The drone can travel up to 200 kilometers, is 20 meters long and 1.8 meters wide, and weighs 100 tons.
According to Putin, the power of the underwater vehicle surpasses even the Sarmat intercontinental missile, one of the most advanced in the Russian weapons arsenal.
To respond and show that the United States is not afraid of anyone, President Donald Trump has called on US military leaders to begin testing nuclear weapons, to be on par with countries like Russia and China.
"As other countries are conducting testing, I have ordered the War Department to begin testing nuclear weapons on a level playing field," Trump wrote on his Social Truth profile.
He also added that the United States has more nuclear weapons than any other country, with Russia coming in second and China third.
The reason for the start of the arms race was the US president's decision to sanction major Russian oil and gas companies, "Lukoil" and "Rosneft", after Putin's refusal to stop the war in Ukraine.
This move appears to have disrupted the process of improving relations between Washington and Moscow, following the meeting between Trump and Putin in Alaska.
