Russia’s Nuclear Threat: A Cold War Rehash?

Will Russia’s Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Withdrawal Spark a New Nuclear Arms Race?

Photo by Ivan Lapyrin on Unsplash

Russian lawmakers have threatened to withdraw Russia’s ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), on October 6, 2023.

The United States has not ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), and Russia is threatening to withdraw from the treaty in retaliation.

Now Russia could resume nuclear testing in response to Western support for Ukraine. Already there is the USA who has not ratified this treaty. Also, these Western nations, they are supporting Ukraine, they are providing military and other support to Ukraine. So Russia has said “If you have not ratified, why should we still be bound by that treaty? We will also revoke the ratification of this treaty and we will start doing our own nuclear tests.”

Nuclear Test Ban Treaty

It was signed in 1963 under the name of the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in Moscow, initially by the USA, the UK, and the USSR. Subsequently, 100 additional nations endorsed this treaty. Nevertheless, the authority to veto any amendments to this treaty remained with the USA, UK, and USSR. If these three nations opposed any proposed changes, they had the power to veto them…