The United States reacted to the de-ratification of the CTBT by Russia
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, reacting to the refusal to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) by the Russian President, called it “a step in the wrong direction.”
Blinken said in a statement on Thursday that Washington was "deeply concerned" by the matter, Reuters reported. The US Secretary of State stressed: “This represents a significant step in the wrong direction, taking us further away from the entry into force of the treaty.” The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty was approved by the UN General Assembly on September 24, 1996. The treaty prohibits all nuclear explosions, both for military and peaceful purposes. The ban applies to all areas. Russia ratified the treaty in 2000. Meanwhile, some countries, including the United States, only signed this treaty, but did not ratify it. The document was supposed to become an international legal document prohibiting all types of nuclear tests. However, until today it has not come into force. The law canceling the ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty was previously approved in the State Duma and the Council of the Russian Federation. On Thursday, the Russian President signed and approved this law. A Kremlin official previously said that the withdrawal of ratification of the CTBT makes it possible to level the situation in the field of nuclear testing for Moscow and Washington. It should be noted that the latter did not ratify it.
