Spotlight on US-Russia nuclear arms race after Moscow passes law against nuclear test ban treaty
BIden Putin
Russian parliament on Wednesday (Oct 25) passed a law to withdraw country's ratification of the global treaty that prohibits nuclear weapons tests, reflecting the strained relations with the United States amid Russia's military offensive in Ukraine.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov stated that Russia wouldn't engage in nuclear discussions with the US until Washington abandoned its "hostile" stance on the matter.
The bill to de-ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) received unanimous approval in both the upper and lower houses, with 156 votes in favour and none against. It now awaits President Vladimir Putin's signature.
What does it mean?
The move aligns Russia's position with that of the United States, which signed the CTBT in 1996 but never ratified it.
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Although the CTBT hasn't officially taken effect, it has discouraged nuclear testing globally, with North Korea being the only exception this century, and India and Pakistan before that in the 1990s after the end of Cold War.
Also watch |Russia to halt participation in New Start nuclear arms treaty
Russia asserts it won't resume testing unless the US does, but experts warn that such a test by either nation could trigger a new arms race, especially during the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the West Asia.
Recent satellite images published by CNN show that Russia, the US, and China have expanded their nuclear test sites.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei said that Russia is not prepared to restart nuclear talks with the US unless there is a change in the "deeply fundamental hostile course" of the US.
Russia accuses the US of trying to weaken it strategically by arming Ukraine, while the US maintains it's supporting Ukraine's purported self-defence.
US, Russia will soon be without a bilateral arms-control arrangement
The lack of nuclear dialogue has cast doubt on the future of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty , which limits the number of strategic warheads for both Russia and the US.
Russia suspended the treaty this year, and it's set to expire in 2026, leaving both countries without a bilateral nuclear weapons agreement.
(With inputs from agencies)