Statement by the Chairman of the Federal Political Committee of Yabloko, 13.10.2023

Photo: A 300,000-strong anti-war demonstration in Moscow in August 1986 in support of the statement  of Mikhail Gorbachev, the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the USSR, on the programme for the complete elimination of nuclear weapons throughout the world / Photo by Andrei Solomonov, RIA Novosti

Russian President Vladimir Putin admitted on 5 October that Moscow may withdraw ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). A week later, on 12 October, it was reported that the relevant State Duma committee had prepared a bill to revoke ratification. Its consideration in the first reading will take place on 17 October.

The need for a recall is explained by the desire to “behave in a mirror manner” towards the United States, which, along with China, Egypt, Iran and Israel, signed the Treaty but have not yet ratified it yet, while Russia did this back in 2000. However, this may be not limited to attracting attention of the world community to the destructive position of the United States.

It is reported that the resumption of nuclear tests to probe the operation of the latest nuclear weapons is being discussed at the level of the military-political leadership of Russia. Some figures in the scientific-nuclear complex also openly call for this. This already assumes a complete denunciation of the CTBT.

The withdrawal of ratification of the Treaty is unlikely to prompt the United States to ratify it, but will entail predictable actions by the states of the “nuclear club” and the so-called “threshold” states. Some will finally refuse to ratify the Treaty or withdraw [the ratification], while others will denounce the Treaty and begin carrying out nuclear explosions, and not necessarily only underground ones. This process can be snowballing, leading to the collapse of another major multilateral Treaty related to the CTBT – the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

The Yabloko party is certain that, in the context of growing tension in the world and already existing military conflicts in which many countries are involved (Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Iran, potentially Taiwan, China, North Korea and South Korea), such a step by Moscow will lead to further proliferation of nuclear weapons, including near Russian borders and with the prospect of escalating conflicts to the use of nuclear weapons.

The conclusion of the CTBT was preceded by a long journey of enormous efforts by the USSR/Russia, the USA, Great Britain and other states: from the Moscow Treaty of 1963 banning nuclear tests in the atmosphere, space and under water, through the treaties on test limitations (1974) and peaceful nuclear explosions (1976) to the current Treaty. It is one of the most effective (340 monitoring stations around the world) and the greatest as of the number of countries that are parties to treaty (187 out of 193 UN member states) in the history of mankind. The decision to ratify it in 2000 was one of the first foreign policy steps of the new Russian president, and an important contribution of Russia to the strengthening of peace and international security.

The Yabloko party makes a resolute protest against the revocation of ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and calls on State Duma deputies not to pass the bill on revoking the ratification.

We urge State Duma deputies not to approve the bill on revoking the ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.

We demand that the United States, China, Egypt, Iran and Israel immediately ratify the CTBT, and that India, Pakistan and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea sign and ratify it.

The duty of responsible politicians to future generations is to take steps to prevent nuclear war and move towards detente, rather than pushing the planet towards a nuclear apocalypse.

Grigory Yavlinsky,

Chairman of the Federal Political Committee of Yabloko

Grigory Yavlinsky

is Chairman of the Federal Political Committee of the Russian United Democratic Party Yabloko, Vice President of Liberal International, PhD in Economics, Professor of the National Research University Higher School of Economics.