The Kremlin's nuclear game: Russia attacks the West on the occasion of the CTBT anniversary

Today, September 24, is the 30th anniversary of the so-called "opening for signature" of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty, the so-called CTBT - Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. In connection with this, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs published Maria Zakharova's comment this morning.

The treaty was adopted by the UN General Assembly on September 10, 1996, and on September 24, 1996 in New York, it was officially opened to states for signing. As can be read in the Treaty Section of the UN Office of Legal Affairs, the Treaty provides for a complete ban on carrying out any nuclear explosions for military or peaceful purposes, on the Earth's surface, in the atmosphere, under water and underground. Even though three decades have passed, the Treaty has not formally entered into force.

The day before yesterday, on September 22, the 81st session of the UN General Assembly began in New York. Today, Russia, through the spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, stated that "although the treaty has been ratified by 179 of the 188 countries that signed it, the prospects for its entry into force remain equally uncertain." It is Russia that has repeatedly suggested the possibility of using nuclear weapons in its rhetoric, but now it is trying to reverse the roles.

The reason for this state of affairs is the attitude of a number of countries - the most important of which is the United States - which were co-initiators of the treaty, and which in the following decades did not take effective steps to ratify it. The claims of the American authorities that the relevant law has no chance of being adopted by Congress do not stand up to facts. We notice how quickly legal acts are passed on Capitol Hill when the American political establishment is keenly interested in their adoption, Zakharova said.

The spokeswoman of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs further wrote that "the Americans are trying to once again evade their international obligations." Further in the statement, Zakharova reports that "the Russian Federation was the first of the five nuclear weapons states to sign the CTBT Treaty - it did so on September 24, 1996, the day it was made available for signature." However, in 2023, Russia withdrew its ratification.

We have maintained status for over 20 years, even though Washington has made absolutely no progress towards ratifying the treaty. However, this situation could not last forever. We continue to act responsibly within the CTBTO Preparatory Commission, Zakharova continues.

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs notes that the USSR has unilaterally undertaken not to test nuclear weapons. The moratorium was announced in 1990, towards the end of the Soviet Union. After the collapse of the USSR, Russia maintained this declaration. However, this is not the same as a complete legal prohibition resulting from a treaty ratified by all states.