In a prompt response to President Vladimir Putin's desire, Russia's parliament has swiftly taken action by passing a bill that changes Moscow's legal stance on nuclear testing, coinciding with heightened tensions with Western nations.
The State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, expedited the process by approving the second and third readings of the bill on Wednesday. These readings passed unanimously with 415 votes in favor and none against.
On October 5th, President Putin urged the Duma to make this change to "mirror" the position of the United States. The U.S. had signed but never formally ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) in 1996.
Speaking on the matter, Vyacheslav Volodin, the parliament speaker, mentioned Russia's responsibility to protect its citizens in the current global context, holding the United States accountable for the existing geopolitical situation.
It's worth noting that Russia's intent behind this shift is to regain parity with the United States, and it asserts that it won't resume nuclear testing unless the U.S. takes such action.
Nonetheless, experts in arms control are growing increasingly concerned that Russia might be gradually moving toward conducting a test, which could be perceived as a nuclear escalation by Western countries amidst the ongoing Ukraine conflict. The fear is that such an action by either Russia or the U.S. could trigger a response from the other, potentially initiating a global arms race, with countries like China, India, and Pakistan also joining in.
As of now, these countries are observing moratoriums on nuclear testing, and only North Korea has conducted a nuclear test this century.
Although Russia is revoking its ratification of the CTBT, it has stated that it will continue to be a signatory to the treaty and will provide data to the global monitoring system, which plays a vital role in detecting nuclear tests around the world.
However, when introducing the bill, parliament speaker Volodin suggested that Russia might even withdraw from the treaty altogether, emphasizing the need to prioritize global security and the well-being of its citizens. The bill will now proceed to the upper house for further consideration and then to President Putin for signing into law.
Putin, who has been cautious in discussing the matter, stated that he was aware of calls for Russia to resume nuclear testing but has not made a definitive decision on the issue.
This move by Russia also follows its suspension of the New START treaty earlier this year, the last bilateral nuclear treaty with the United States. New START limited the number of strategic warheads each country could deploy. Experts believe that these steps may be part of Russia's broader strategy to create uncertainty and concern among nations supporting Ukraine in its defense against Russia's invasion.
While the decision to withdraw from the CTBT has raised concerns about international stability and the risk of a new nuclear arms race, some argue that the United States also bears responsibility since it has yet to ratify the treaty despite signing it 27 years ago.
In response to these developments, Melissa Parke, executive director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, criticized Russia's actions, considering them irresponsible. She emphasized the importance of international treaties like the CTBT in preventing the harmful consequences of nuclear testing, which has adverse effects on public health and leads to widespread radioactive contamination.
It's essential to note that post-Soviet Russia has never conducted a nuclear test. The Soviet Union's last test took place in 1990, while the United States conducted its last test in 1992.
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