UN presses for nuclear test ban after Russia missile test
CTBT still lacks full force because nine key states, including the US, Russia, China, India and Pakistan, have not completed ratification.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged nuclear-armed states to keep a moratorium on test explosions and bring the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) into force after Russia tested the launch of a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile. Russia's Defense Ministry said the solid-fuel missile was launched from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Arkhangelsk and hit a target at the Kura range in Kamchatka. Moscow said the launch was intended to test the tactical and technical characteristics and flight capabilities of the missile system. The CTBT was adopted in 1996, but it is not fully binding because ratification by Annex 2 states is incomplete. As of 2026, 188 countries have signed and 179 have ratified the treaty.