Russia calls for early entry into force of nuclear test ban treaty, Lavrov says

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow supports the early entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), describing it as a visible expression of the collective responsibility of states to preserve global stability and security for future generations, according to Russian state news agency TASS.

The CTBT, opened for signature in 1996, bans all nuclear explosions for both civilian and military purposes. Despite wide international support, the treaty has never formally entered into force because a number of specified states, including the United States, have not ratified it.

Lavrov's remarks reflect Russia's longstanding position favoring the treaty's implementation, even as global arms control frameworks have come under strain in recent years amid deteriorating relations between major powers. Moscow itself withdrew its ratification of the treaty in 2023, a move it said was intended to restore parity with Washington, which has signed but not ratified the pact.

Arms control advocates have repeatedly warned that the stalled status of the CTBT, alongside the erosion of other nuclear arms agreements, raises the risk of renewed testing and a broader breakdown in nuclear restraint. Lavrov's comments come amid continued international discussion over the future of global disarmament architecture.

It was not immediately clear whether Lavrov's statement was accompanied by any new concrete proposal to advance the treaty's ratification process among the remaining holdout states.