By outdoor-nature-child.com In a recent television interview, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov made a striking comment about nuclear testing. He warned that if the United States were to resume its nuclear testing activities, Russia would respond in kind.
Ryabkov shared his frustrations regarding the stagnation surrounding the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), revealing that Russia is poised to formally withdraw its approval by November 2023. “We have waited for 23 years. This saga is coming to an end,” he stated emphatically. “What happens next remains an open question, and the answer fully depends on the policies adopted by the United States and its allies.”
His comments echo earlier warnings from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who noted the West’s dangerous flirtation with direct confrontation among nuclear powers, a situation that could lead to catastrophic outcomes.
Reports from October 25, 2023, indicated that the Federation Council, Russia’s upper house of parliament, unanimously passed a bill to revoke its ratification of the CTBT. Federation Council Chair Valentina Matviyenko pointed out that the treaty has lost relevance for Russia if the U.S. doesn’t fulfill its obligations under the agreement.
Then, on November 2, 2023, President Vladimir Putin officially signed the law to withdraw Russia’s approval of the CTBT, citing the U.S. failure to ratify the treaty as a central factor in this decision.
The CTBT was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1996 and opened for signature on September 24 of the same year. While both Russia and the United States signed the treaty, Russia ratified it in 2000, whereas the U.S. has not yet completed the necessary legislative steps to make it law.