"These statements are definitely a trigger for a nuclear arms race as well as developing technologically superior delivery systems. For a country like China, seeing these nuclear threats, it wouldn’t like to be intimidated by Washington and would therefore aim to develop its own stockpile on par with the United States," remarked Major General (retired) Shashi Bhushan Asthana, Director at the United Service Institution (USI) of India.
Asthana also opined that Pakistan's military leadership, emboldened by the "reset" in ties with the US, may take "cues" from President Trump's statements on nuclear weapons, especially amid tensions following Operation Sindoor.
"As far as India is concerned, we have proven during Operation Sindoor that a ground exists for a military action short of a fully-blown conventional war in a nuclear hangover... if US statements prompt Pakistan to ramp up its nuclear programme, then India would have no choice but to bolster its own nuclear stockpile and maybe even re-assess its No-First Use (NFU) policy," believes Asthana.
Military analyst and author Lieutenant Colonel (Retd.) JS Sodhi tells Sputnik India, "While India adheres to a no first-use policy, a strict nuclear non-proliferation regime and remains committed to a peaceful nuclear programme, India does face the real threat of a two-front war."
"Should the US President move back from his commitments under the New START, Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) (the US has signed but not ratified it) and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), then we may witness a global nuclear arms race," Sodhi prophesised.
He described Washington's actions as "nuclear brinkmanship".
US nuclear threats weren't going to work with Russia, with President Putin already telling a Security Council Meeting at the Kremlin on Wednesday that Moscow would take "appropriate retaliatory measures" in case the US began its nuclear testing.
"Russia has a much bigger nuclear arsenal than the US, and if the Trump administration indeed carries out its threat of testing more nukes, then Russia in all likelihood would further bolster its nuclear arsenal and advance its delivery systems... Russia won’t hesitate to take countermeasures if its existence is threatened or if it is threatened by such nuclear sabre-rattling. But, if the US doesn’t test nuclear weapons, Russia won’t do it either," the Indian veteran-cum-thinktanker said.
Sodhi views President Trump's nuclear threats as a means to reassure his domestic constituency and NATO allies that the US remained the pre-eminent global power.
"As we are seeing, many analysts have given an upper hand to President Xi after the Busan meeting, in light of managing to get China's tariffs cut by 10% and relaxation of export controls on US tech exports. We also saw Russia testing its Burevestnik missile as well as nuclear-powered Poseidon, being viewed as more powerful than a nuclear missile."