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Russia Slams “Crude Provocation” Nuclear Testing Accusations By US
Russia Slams “Crude Provocation” Nuclear Testing Accusations By US
The Trump administration’s charge that Russia has restarted “very low-yield nuclear tests” in an intelligence finding revealed on Wednesday has been met with fierce push back from Moscow, with Russian officials slamming the allegation as a “crude provocation”.
This comes just as President Vladimir Putin has reportedly submitted a draft resolution to Russian parliament on Moscow’s pullout of the INF Treaty with the US following Washington’s initial withdrawal last year. Russia’s suspension of the INF will go into law immediately should the Duma approve the bill, and Putin will have the power to renew it as he sees fit.
Russian officials stressed they’ve continued to be in compliance with the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), which the US is now accusing Moscow of violating. “Vladimir Monomakh” – One of Russia’s ballistic missile submarines of the Borey-class. Via the Independent Barents Observer
The new US intelligence assessment concluded that Russia has likely been secretly conducting “very low-yield nuclear tests to upgrade its nuclear arsenal,” marking the first time Washington has accused the Kremlin of failing to strictly observe its commitments under the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, according to the Wall Street Journal onWednesday.
The reaction to US officials from Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the US accusation “groundless” and a “crude provocation,” according to Reuters.
The ministry further said Russia was in “full compliance” with the CTBT, which Moscow ratified in 2000 – something which the statement noted the US itself has not ratified. According to Reuters:
Negotiated in the 1990s, the CTBT enjoys wide global support but must be ratified by eight more nuclear technology states, among them Israel, Iran, Egypt and the United States to come into force.
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US making ‘no practical steps’ to ratify Nuclear Test Ban Treaty – Russia
US making ‘no practical steps’ to ratify Nuclear Test Ban Treaty – Russia
Moscow has slammed Washington for taking “no practical steps” to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) – despite countless promises to do so – and consequently preventing the important international treaty from going into force.
“The main load of responsibility that the CTBT has not entered into force so far lies on the eight remaining countries from the so-called ‘list of 44’ whose ratification documents are needed to launch the treaty,”Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The ministry stressed that “first of all, this refers to the US, a country that positions itself as a leader in the sphere of strengthening the regime of nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament.”
“Unfortunately, despite the repeated statements on the plans to ratify the Treaty, the US has yet taken no practical steps in this direction,” the statement said.
Moscow also praised Angola for ratifying the CTBT on March 20. The African nation was the 164th country to confirm the treaty.
“Such a decision of Luanda (Angola’s capital) certainly brings the CTBT closer to a universal status and contributes to its turning into a valid international-legal tool,” the ministry said.
The statement stressed that Russia’s“continuous commitment to the CTBT and the readiness to secure its speedy entry into legal force.”
“We once again call on all the states that have not yet signed or not ratified the Treaty to do it without delay or preconditions,” it said.
The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty is a multilateral agreement banning all nuclear explosions in all environments, for military or civilian purposes.
The CTBT was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in September 1996. However, nearly two decades later, it has not entered into force due to non-ratification by eight countries.
The US, China, Egypt, Iran, Israel have signed the deal, but not ratified it. North Korea and Pakistan have yet to sign the treaty.
