Russia stays committed to nuclear test ban treaty after withdrawing ratification: foreign ministry

Vladivostok, Russia | Xinhua | Despite withdrawing its ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), Russia remains committed to the treaty and its obligations, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced on Friday.

The ministry said in a statement that Russia is still a signatory to the CTBT and will continue to participate in the work of the treaty’s Preparatory Commission. Russia also intends to uphold the moratorium on nuclear tests that it has observed for more than three decades.

However, the ministry warned that if the United States conducts full-scale tests at its Nevada site, as some reports suggest, Russia will respond in kind.

“The United States must understand that conducting full-scale tests, for which the test site infrastructure in Nevada is reportedly prepared, will force us to act in a mirror manner,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday signed a law revoking Russia’s ratification of the treaty. Signed in 1996, the treaty is a multilateral agreement that bans all nuclear explosion tests conducted for peaceful or military purposes. Russia ratified the treaty in 2000, while the United States has not ratified it yet.

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov later clarified that Russia’s withdrawal of ratification did not imply any intention to resume nuclear testing. ■