(RepublicanView.org) – Russian President Vladimir Putin officially ended his nation’s ratification of a treaty to ban nuclear tests globally on November 2.
Moscow claimed that it ended its ratification to build parity with the US. He referred to the United States’ decision to also sign the ban without ratifying it. The move comes after each house in Russia’s parliament voted to withdraw its ratification in October.
The Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty prohibits all nuclear test explosions by any party globally. However, it cannot be enforced until all 44 of the nations and annexes sign their ratifications. Other global superpowers, including China, have not ratified.
Officials in Moscow claim that its withdrawal doesn’t signify Russia’s intent to resume tests. However, Putin claims that some Russian experts have determined that moving forward with more testing is necessary. Moscow also said that it will not conduct nuclear testing unless the United States does it first, although they have previously threatened to use nuclear weapons against Ukraine.
The move comes just hours before Russia used a massive drone force to attack critical sites in the Ukraine. Several civilian sites in Kharkiv, the second largest city in Ukraine, suffered substantial damage.
The US retaliated with a slew of new sanctions.. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said via Twitter that he remains confident in Ukraine’s victory. According to the UK defense ministry, their forces remain static.
The withdrawal raises new concerns about Russia’s willingness to use nuclear weapons in its ongoing war with Ukraine. Those fears were heightened last month after Russia tested a prototype missile with long-range capabilities. The missile’s engine is nuclear powered and, according to Putin, can strike targets 14,000 miles away. The missile, which is believed to be capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, has failed previous tests. One of those tests killed several scientists.
With the exception of North Korea, no nuclear explosions have been tested since the 90s.
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