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Moscow has hinted that it may withdraw from the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, with Russian President Vladimir Putin broaching the idea Thursday and the head of the Russian parliament suggesting on Friday that a vote could be swiftly considered.
“At the next meeting of the State Duma Council we will definitely discuss the issue of revoking ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty,” said Russia’s top legislator Vyacheslav Volodin.
In response, Robert Floyd, executive secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), said, “It would be concerning and deeply unfortunate if any State Signatory were to reconsider its ratification of the CTBT.”
The treaty has been signed by 187 countries and ratified by 178. However, it cannot go into effect until it is ratified by eight holdout nations: China, Egypt, Iran, Israel and the United States have signed but not ratified it; North Korea, India and Pakistan have yet to sign it.
Russia has repeatedly threatened the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine and has recently suggested that it may resume testing nuclear weapons.
Claiming, “Washington and Brussels have unleashed a war against our country,” Vyacheslav Volodin said, [Withdrawal] conforms with our national interests. And it will come as a quid pro quo response to the United States, which has still failed to ratify the treaty.”
On Thursday, Putin made note of the fact that unlike the US, which signed but did not ratify the 1996 treaty, Russia had ratified it in 2000.
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