Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday signed a law canceling Russia's ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine and the crisis with the West.
The treaty, adopted by the U.N. General Assembly in 1996, aims to ban all nuclear testing, but has not been implemented because a number of major nuclear powers, most notably the United States and China, have not joined it.
For its part, the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization called on Russia to continue its commitment to the treaty, including the operation of monitoring stations on its territory to detect the slightest explosion in real time.
OPCW President Robert Floyd said in a tweet on the X platform that "the Russian Federation's decision today to cancel its ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty is disappointing and very regrettable."
France, one of the first signatories to the convention, said it "deplored" Russia's decision to cancel ratification of the treaty, saying the decision undermined efforts to make the treaty universal.
The law was adopted by the Russian State Duma in mid-October before it was unanimously approved by the Federation Council (the upper house of the Russian parliament) at the end of the month.
In mid-October, Russia test-fired ballistic missiles with the aim of preparing its forces for a "massive nuclear strike" in response to a similar hostile strike.
Russia's nuclear doctrine provides for a "purely defensive" use of atomic weapons in the event of an attack on Russia with weapons of mass destruction or aggression with conventional weapons that "threatens the very existence of the state."
Russia also suspended in February its participation in the 2010 New START nuclear disarmament treaty signed between Russia and the United States, the last bilateral agreement between Moscow and Washington.
Washington criticizes
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken criticized Russia for withdrawing from the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) and called on Moscow to commit not to testing.
"Unfortunately, this represents a major step in the wrong direction and takes us away from the entry into force of the treaty, rather than bringing us closer to it," Blinken said in a statement.
"This is a continuation of Moscow's disturbing and misguided efforts to increase nuclear risks and increase tensions as it continues its illegal war on Ukraine. Russian officials say Russia's planned move to withdraw its certification does not mean it will resume testing, and we urge Moscow to abide by these statements."
The United States has never ratified the treaty, which has been a major obstacle to its entry into force. In 1992, President George H.W. Bush signed a law banning U.S. nuclear testing unilaterally, which has since been extended. But the Senate refused to ratify the 1999 Test-Ban Treaty.