Russia Will Only Resume Nuclear Tests If the US Does It First, a Top Russian Diplomat Says

Russia Will Only Resume Nuclear Tests If the US Does It First, a Top Russian Diplomat Says
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov attends a session of the Federal Assembly in Moscow on April 12, 2023. The Federal Assembly of The Russian Federation via AP
The Associated Press
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MOSCOW—Russia will move to revoke the ratification of a global nuclear test ban to put itself on par with the United States but will only resume nuclear tests if Washington does it first, a senior Russian diplomat said Tuesday.

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told reporters that Moscow will rescind the ratification of the nuclear test ban treaty to “mirror” the action by the U.S. He added that if the U.S. conducts a nuclear test, “we will be forced to mirror that as well.”