MOSCOW, October 10. /TASS/. The Russian side is only legislatively revoking the ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) to balance the status with the United States, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told the media in the State Duma.
"We are revoking the ratification, that is, balancing our status in the way the US has been doing for many decades," Ryabkov said. He emphasized that the relevant "moratorium is preserved."
He noted that the Russian side would continue to "share its data and receive others’ data" within the framework of the functioning of the CTBT international monitoring system.
"The United States has access to all data of the international monitoring system. It participates in the work of the platforms concerned, because it signed [the CTBT] but did not ratify it," Ryabkov added. He explained that Moscow was "merely revoking the ratification" and that "everything else will function as it has functioned so far."