Moscow wants to continue to refrain from nuclear tests
According to its own statements, Russia wants to continue to refrain from testing nuclear weapons despite its withdrawal from a ban treaty. Moscow intends to "maintain the moratorium that was introduced more than 30 years ago", explained the Foreign Ministry. However, should the USA carry out "large-scale tests", Russia would be "forced to do the same", the ministry warned.
The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) provides for an end to all nuclear weapons tests and was submitted for signature in 1996. However, it has not yet come into force because it has not been ratified by a sufficient number of countries. Among others, the nuclear powers USA and China have not yet ratified the CTBT.
The day before, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law revoking Russia's ratification of the treaty. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken described this as a "significant step in the wrong direction" that "moves us further away from the treaty's entry into force, rather than closer to it".
After the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine in February 2022, Putin repeatedly threatened to use nuclear weapons. Last week, he attended a ballistic missile test, which Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu described as an exercise for a "massive" nuclear retaliatory strike against an unnamed enemy. At the beginning of October, the Russian head of state declared that he was "not ready to say" whether Russia would resume its nuclear weapons tests.
The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) called on Russia to adhere to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and, among other things, to allow the use of monitoring stations that can detect even small-scale explosions.
Despite Russia's commitment to avoiding nuclear tests, a potential large-scale nuclear test by the USA could prompt Russia to resume its own testing, as stated by the Russian Foreign Ministry. The uncertain nuclear test policies of both Russia and the USA, with Russia recently revoking its ratification of the CTBT, raise concerns about the risk of a nuclear conflict involving these two major military powers.
Source: www.ntv.de
