The President of Russia Vladimir Putin, signed the law on the withdrawal of ratification of the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), a withdrawal that is part of the context of the war in Ukraine and the crisis in its relations Moscow with the West.
The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty was opened for signature in 1996, but never entered into force because it was never ratified by all 44 countries that had nuclear activities at the time of its drafting. Eight of these 44 countries have not ratified it: China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, Israel, Iran, Egypt and the United States. At the beginning of October, Mr Vladimir Putin announced that his country is likely to withdraw its ratification of the CTBT in response to the US, which has not ratified it.
“I am not ready to say whether we should repeat the tests or not,” he had added at the time, taking the opportunity to talk about the development of powerful new missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads. From the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the president of Russia often makes heavy use of the threat of using nuclear weapons. In the summer of 2023, Russia routinely moved nuclear weapons to the territory of close ally Belarus.
The CTBT withdrawal law was passed by the Russian State Duma and then unanimously approved by the Russian Upper House in late October.
In late October, Russia proceeded to launch ballistic missiles that provide Russian forces with a “massive retaliatory nuclear strike” capability. Russia’s nuclear doctrine provides for a “strictly defensive” use of nuclear weapons in the event that Russia is attacked bywith weapons of mass destruction or an attack with conventional weapons which “would threaten the very existence of the (Russian) state”.
In February, Russia withdrew its participation in the New Start strategic arms control treaty, which was signed with the United States in 2010 and is the last bilateral agreement linking the Russians and Americans.
Source: News Beast
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