Russia is considering canceling its ratification of the nuclear test ban treaty after Vladimir Putin’s comments about the Russian arsenal, the speaker of the Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, said on Friday.
“The State Duma Council at its next meeting,” scheduled for Monday, “will discuss the issue of abandoning ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty,” Vyacheslav Volodin said in a press release.
This announcement comes a day after a statement by Vladimir Putin that such an exit could be a “symmetrical response” to the United States, which has never ratified this treaty.
“The situation in the world has changed. Washington and Brussels have started a war against our country. Current challenges require new solutions,” assured Mr. Volodine.
During the international forum in Valdaï, Russia, Vladimir Putin ruled on Thursday that it was “not necessary” to tighten Russian nuclear doctrine in light of Russia’s attack on Ukraine and unprecedented international sanctions against Moscow.
“I’m already hearing calls to start testing nuclear weapons, for example,” he said.
“The United States has signed a nuclear test ban treaty, and Russia has signed it. Russia signed and ratified it, and the United States signed but did not ratify it,” he continued.
According to Putin, in this context, Russia “could theoretically withdraw its agreement for ratification.”
He also said that Russia was completing tests of new generation missiles, the Bourevestnik and the Sarmat.