Vladimir Putin
President Vladimir Putin signed legislation on Thursday canceling Russia’s ratification of the ‘Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty’, a move he claims is intended to bring Moscow into line with the US.
Russia claims that it will not begin testing unless Washington does and that its de-ratification has no effect on its nuclear posture or the manner it discloses information about its nuclear activities.
Washington signed but never approved the 1996 treaty and President Putin had stated that he wants Russia, which signed and ratified the pact, to take the same position on the treaty as the US.
Some Western arms control specialists are concerned that Russia is edging closer to a test to intimidation and evoke fear in the midst of the Ukraine war, an idea that Russian officials have dismissed.
On October 5, Vladimir Putin stated that he was not ready to say whether Russia should resume nuclear testing in response to proposals from certain Russian security experts and MPs to test a nuclear weapon as a warning to the West.
Western experts believe that if such a step occurs, it will bring in a new era of nuclear testing by major powers.
President Putin’s acceptance of the de-ratification law was announced on a government website, with the decision taking effect immediately.
The move has already been authorized by both houses of Russia’s parliament.
Post-Soviet Russia has never conducted a nuclear test. The Soviet Union last conducted a nuclear test in 1990, and the United States in 1992.
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