EU and US ‘nuclear’ reaction to Russia

In the US State Department statement, Russia’s cancellation decision was called “a serious step in the wrong direction.”

The statement states that Russia’s decision “will only shake confidence in the international arms control regime” and will increase “nuclear risk and tension.”

The statement stated that there is deep concern about Russia’s cancellation of the CTBT approval and emphasized that Russian officials must back up their statements that this decision does not mean that testing will continue.

The statement reiterated the United States’ commitment to the “moratorium” on nuclear test bans that has been in place for 30 years.

DECLARATION OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

The EU Council’s written statement highlighted that the cancellation was “a decision taken based on the nuclear rhetoric that Russia used many times during the war in Ukraine.”

“The EU deeply regrets this decision.” The statement recalled that all EU member states approved the CTBT.

The statement urged Russia to respect the goals and objectives of the CTBT.

WHAT HAPPENED?

The European Union (EU) also reacted to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s cancellation of his country’s approval of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).

According to the decision signed by Putin, Russia withdrew its approval of the CTBT.

The CTBT, which aimed to stop nuclear weapons testing, was signed by Russia in New York in 1996.