The Russian Parliament concluded this Wednesday (25) the approval of a law that abandons the ratification of the global treaty that prohibits the testing of nuclear weapons, which highlights the profound cooling in relations with the United States, as Moscow continues with his war in Ukraine.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Russia was not prepared to resume discussion of nuclear issues with the US unless Washington abandons its “hostile” policy.
The bill to withdraw ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) was approved by 156 votes to zero in the Upper House, after the Lower House also approved it unanimously. Now, the bill goes to President Vladimir Putin for signature.
Putin had requested the change to “mirror” the position of the United States, which signed the CTBT in 1996 but never ratified it.
Although it never formally came into force, the CTBT made nuclear testing taboo — no country except North Korea has carried out a test involving a nuclear explosion this century.
Russia says it will not resume testing unless Washington does, but arms control experts say a test by Russia or the United States could trigger a new arms race — and more tests by other countries — at a time of great tension, with wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
CNN published satellite images last month showing that Russia, the United States and China have expanded their nuclear test sites in recent years.
The US Department of Energy said last week that it had carried out a chemical explosion at its Nevada test site “to improve the United States’ ability to detect low-yield nuclear explosions around the world.”
Source: CNN Brasil
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