The U.S. Secretary of State said the decision puts the United States further away from the treaty’s entry into force, not closer to it.
Russia’s de-ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) is a step in the wrong direction, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has said.
“We are deeply troubled by Russia’s decision on its planned withdrawal of CTBT ratification. Unfortunately, it represents a significant step in the wrong direction that moves us further away from, rather than closer to, the treaty’s entry into force,” the document said.
At the same time, Blinken emphasised, the US is committed to this moratorium regardless of Russia’s decision.
Earlier, on 2 November, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the law on refusal to comply with the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.