Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov speaks to journalists on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia, Sept 11, 2023. (SPUTNIK, KREMLIN POOL PHOTO VIA AP)

MOSCOW – Russia's potential withdrawal from the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) will not imply that the country will restore nuclear tests, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.

The statement came after Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the 20th Annual Meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club on Thursday that Moscow could potentially revoke its ratification of the CTBT, as a mirror response to the United States, which hasn't signed or ratified the treaty.

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Peskov said Russia has long signed and ratified the treaty, while America hasn't done so. However, Putin's remarks should not be viewed as a statement of intention to resume nuclear tests.

Vyacheslav Volodin, chairman of the Russian State Duma, said on Friday that the withdrawal was an "important issue related to the security of Russia and its citizens".

"This goes in line with the national interests of our state. And it will be a mirror response to the United States," Volodin wrote in a Telegram post.

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The CTBT is a multilateral agreement that bans all nuclear explosion tests, conducted for peaceful or military purpose. The treaty was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1996, and has been signed by 187 nations, ratified by 178 as of September 2023.