MOSCOW: The international community's reaction to the US statements about its intention to resume nuclear testing is disappointing, an...
MOSCOW: The international community's reaction to the US statements about its intention to resume nuclear testing is disappointing, and the situation is very alarming, Russian envoy to international organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov said.
"To be honest, the international community's reaction personally disappointed me and my colleagues. <…> In general, this situation is very alarming because, I think, the reaction in the 20th century would have been much sharper. After all, the ban on nuclear testing is sacred, especially for countries in the Global South and developing countries, as well as Western European nations. However, no serious concern has been expressed here. But let's see how events unfold," he said during a Rossiya-24 TV broadcast.
Ulyanov noted that Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) Executive Secretary Robert Floyd "managed not to say a single word about the US statements." "He talked about everything except the threat hanging over the treaty. This is very strange," the diplomat added.
The envoy said other participants in the Preparatory Commission meeting also reacted very mildly. "First, there were many speakers (56 countries, which is more than usual), but only we, the Chinese, Venezuelans, and Iranians mentioned the United States by name. Everyone else spoke in vague terms. Of course, all emphasized the importance of preventing nuclear tests, which have not been conducted for almost 30 years, but they used general phrases such as ‘no one should’, ‘everyone should observe the moratorium’, and so on. In other words, the United States did not stand out from the general picture," he emphasized.
Ulyanov pointed out that this situation may be explained by the fact that many countries were "intimidated" by the US side. "The Americans are skilled at intimidating countries. I know American diplomats threatened potential critics here in Vienna," he said.
On October 29, US President Donald Trump announced that he had instructed the Pentagon to resume nuclear weapons testing immediately. He justified this by saying that certain other countries were already doing so. The US leader did not specify what kind of tests he was referring to or whether they included the detonation of nuclear warheads.
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