Russia passes law pulling ratification of nuclear test ban treaty

Russia’s parliament completed the passage of a law on Wednesday that withdraws Moscow’s ratification of the global treaty banning nuclear weapons tests.
The upper house, the Federation Council approved the law by 156 votes to zero after the lower house, the Duma, had also passed it unanimously. It now goes to President Vladimir Putin for signing.
Putin urged lawmakers earlier this month to make the change in order to “mirror” the position of the United States, which signed but never ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).
Russia says it will not resume nuclear testing unless Washington does, but arms control experts are concerned it may be inching towards a test that the West would perceive as a threatening escalation in the context of the Ukraine war.
Ukraine has accused Russia of stepping up “nuclear blackmail”.