It was with deep concern that we received information about Russia’s withdrawal from the ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. This is yet another weakening of the international security architecture, according to the Polish Foreign Ministry.
As reported by Reuters and the Associated Press, Vladimir Putin signed a law on Thursday that nullifies Russia’s ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to this information in a statement.
It is with serious concern that we received the information about Russia’s withdrawal from the ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). The decision was taken after months of irresponsible rhetoric and nuclear threats, during the ongoing illegal aggression against Ukraine. This unjustified and unprecedented step further weakens the international security architecture. It is part of Moscow’s deliberate scenario of successively undermining collective non-proliferation and disarmament efforts
– said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The ministry will emphasize that Russia, as a state party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), has committed to work towards the early entry into force of the CTBT, in accordance with the principle of irreversibility of arms control. measures.
Moscow’s decision constitutes a serious violation of these obligations, all the more important because Russia is a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
– indicated the ministry.
As emphasized, the CTBT is a crucial instrument for nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. It enforces the standards that ban nuclear testing. Poland ratified the CTBT in 1999 and has been working on its strengthening and entry into force for many years. The CTBT, which was ratified by 178 countries, did not enter into force due to the lack of ratification by eight countries from the basic list of 44 countries that form Annex No. 2 to the Treaty.
Washington signed the 1996 CTBT but never ratified it. The treaty has also not been ratified by China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, Israel, Iran and Egypt. Some Western experts fear that Russia is considering carrying out a nuclear test to deter Western countries from providing military support to Ukraine. If this were to happen, it could usher in a new era of nuclear testing by the world’s superpowers. Russia never conducted a nuclear test after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The last nuclear test in the Soviet Union took place in 1990, and in the US in 1992.
kk/PAP
Source: wPolityce