Nuclear security

Will the Trump administration’s accusations doom the nuclear test ban treaty?

In April, while most of the world was focused on defeating a devastating viral pandemic, the US State Department quietly released its annual compliance report, describing whether and how the United States and other countries have been abiding by various arms control agreements. The report is sober reading for those hoping that the coronavirus would usher in a new era of international collaboration.

The report made waves for raising “concerns” about China’s adherence to a “zero-yield” nuclear testing standard, as called for by the 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. Although neither the United States or China has ratified the treaty, both have signed it, and both claim to abide by a nuclear testing moratorium.

US allegations in this regard are nothing new; for decades, the United States has accused Russia of conducting low-yield nuclear tests. And in the 2020 report, those accusations are repeated. The report claims—without offering sources in its unclassified part—that “Russia has conducted nuclear weapons-related experiments that have created nuclear yield.” In its response, Russia categorically denied conducting “non-zero-yield tests.” It also made clear that it does “not intend to discuss compliance with the nuclear test ban” with the United States, which “has been delaying the ratification of the [treaty] for 25 years.”