Russia's Alleged Nuclear Test Treaty Violations 'Deeply Alarming' - Senator Rubio

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th June, 2019) Russia's alleged nuclear weapons tests threaten national security interests of the United States and its allies, Senator Marco Rubio said in a statement on Friday.

On Thursday, the US Defense Intelligence Agency released a statement claiming that the US government, including the intelligence community, had "assessed that Russia has conducted nuclear weapons tests that have created nuclear yield." No information proving the allegations was provided.

"The US assessment that Russia has conducted nuclear weapons tests producing nuclear yield is deeply alarming," Rubio said. "Any Russian or Chinese nuclear weapons test that produces nuclear yield not only violates the 'zero yield' moratorium on nuclear weapons testing that the US, Britain, and France have faithfully implemented but also imperils the national security interests of America and our allies around the world."

Moscow has urgeed the United States to provide evidence substantiating its claims that Russia violated the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), Russia's Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov said on Friday.

US Defense Intelligence Agency Director Robert Ashley suggested in late May that Russia was "probably not adhering to" the nuclear testing moratorium outlined in the CTBT.

On Wednesday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told US Under Secretary of State for Arms Control Andrea Thompson that the United States accusing Russia of allegedly violating the CTBT was unacceptable.

The CTBT, under which signatories pledge to halt nuclear weapons tests, was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1996. It is set to enter into force only after all states in Annex 2 sign and ratify it, but only 37 of 44 countries in question have ratified it so far. As of now, the treaty needs to be signed by India, North Korea and Pakistan, and ratified by China, Egypt, Iran, Israel and the United States.