Putin says Russia could revoke nuclear test-ban treaty

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
6 Oct 2023 09:20

The Russian president warns that the parliament could revoke its ratification and agreement of the treaty banning nuclear tests.

Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures while speaking at the annual meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia, on Oct. 5, 2023 (AP)

During his speech at a forum of foreign policy experts, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the country has successfully completed the development of the Burevestnik cruise missile and tested the nuclear-powered missile.

He further warned that the Russian parliament could revoke its ratification and agreement of the treaty banning nuclear tests while announcing that the Sarmat heavy intercontinental ballistic missile has been developed and production will begin soon.

“We conducted the last successful test of the Burevestnik nuclear-powered global-range cruise missile,” he said.

This marks the first announcement of a successful test of the Burevestnik, first mentioned back in 2018, which translates as “Storm Petrel”.

The Burevestnik, code-named Skyfall by NATO, has left Western critics skeptical about it, saying that its nuclear engine could be highly unreliable. The missile is believed to be able to carry a nuclear warhead or a conventional one, with the ability to stay aloft for a longer time as opposed to other missiles and can cover a lot more distance.

Back in 2018, Putin claimed that the missile would have unlimited range, which would allow it to go around the globe undetected by missile defense systems. Observers and critics believe that the missile could be hard to handle as it also poses an environmental threat.

'Theoretically speaking'

It was reported that the Burevestnik endured an explosion in August 2019 while being tested at a Russian navy range, which left five nuclear engineers dead alongside two servicemen, resulting in a brief rise in radioactivity that spiked fears in a nearby city.

Although Russia never identified which weapon was involved, the US claims it was the Burevestnik.

The Arctic Novaya Zemlya archipelago, the area in which the Soviet Union last tested a nuclear weapon, was used by Russia to build facilities for testing it.

During his speech, Putin recalled that the US signed but did not ratify the 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, as opposed to Russia.

He argued that Russia can “mirror the stand taken by the US”, adding: “Theoretically, we may revoke the ratification.”

Widespread concerns have been floating about regarding Russia's move to carry on nuclear tests in an effort to discourage the West from sending military aid to Ukraine. However, Putin claimed that even though experts have encouraged the resumption of these tests, he hasn’t yet formed an opinion.

“I’m not ready to say yet whether it’s necessary for us to conduct tests or not,” he noted.

'Don't even bother trying'

Russia’s defense doctrine sees the possibility of a nuclear response to an atomic hit or an attack with conventional weapons that would “threaten the very existence of the Russian state.” This phrasing has Russian experts urging the Kremlin to make the West take warnings more seriously.

One of these experts is Sergei Karaganov, a top Russian foreign affairs expert who advises Putin’s Security Council.

Karaganov argues that Russia should up the ante on its nuclear threats to “break the will of the West” or launch a limited nuclear strike on European NATO allies if the West fails to stop sending aid to Ukraine.

On Wednesday, in response to Karaganov’s question regarding changes in the Russian nuclear doctrine, Putin said: “There is no situation in which anything would threaten Russian statehood and the existence of the Russian state,” he said.