Deputies of the State Duma unanimously adopted in the second and third readings the law on the withdrawal of ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. Its co-authors were the Chairman of the State Duma, faction leaders and almost all deputies.
The question of the need to revoke ratification was raised by Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club.
“438 deputies signed the bill. We rarely have great consolidation at all, and in this regard, our vote will be a response to the United States of America for its boorish attitude towards its responsibilities to maintain global security,” Vyacheslav Volodin emphasized at yesterday’s plenary meeting.
“Think about it: they haven’t ratified this document for 23 years, and yesterday they woke up and remembered the deputies of the State Duma. They need to resign with such responsibility. Cynicism and double standards flare everywhere from such an attitude. They imagine themselves to be hegemons, supporters of a unipolar world,” says the Chairman of the State Duma.
The Chairman of the State Duma stated that the decision to revoke the ratification of the CTBT was made solely in the interests of our country and the whole world, built on the basis of stability, security and justice. “This is the policy that the President is pursuing,” he said.
“We will monitor the behavior of the United States, which, with every action on the world stage, unfortunately, undermines the nuclear non-proliferation regime, the strategic balance of nuclear forces and global security,” said the head of the LDPR faction, Chairman of the International Affairs Committee Leonid Slutsky.
In particular, he said, the irresponsible attitude of the United States towards global security is reflected in the unilateral position of the US leadership in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, where they support only Israel. “Such a line, God forbid, could lead to new hundreds and thousands of victims, the responsibility for which will fall on Washington,” said Leonid Slutsky, adding that therefore tomorrow a separate appeal of the State Duma to the UN and parliaments of the world will be adopted.
The deputy assured that our country is ready for any adequate actions to protect global security and maintain parity of nuclear forces. “If the thoughtlessness and irresponsibility of [the United States] towards global security allows any nuclear test explosions to be carried out, our test sites are also ready. We will do everything necessary to maintain stability in the world,” said the chairman of the relevant committee.
Leonid Slutsky expressed confidence that “most countries in the world are grouped around Russia and its President.” Russia will do everything to prevent “the world from sliding into war,” he noted.