Oct 9 (Reuters) - Russia's Duma Council will look on Monday at revoking ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), further fuelling concerns that Moscow might resume nuclear tests.
After the Kremlin said last week that Russia could look into revoking the ratification - noting that the United States has signed the treaty but not ratified it - Russia's top lawmaker, Vyacheslav Volodin, said the issue would be discussed at the next meeting of the Council.
According to the Duma's schedule, the Council, which is the key body in the Russian parliament organising its legislative work, will meet at 4 p.m. (1300 GMT) on Monday.
Russia's envoy to the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) said on Friday that Moscow would revoke its ratification of the pact, a move that Washington denounced as endangering "the global norm" against nuclear test blasts.
By revoking the ratification, the United States said, Moscow wants increase pressure on Washington and its allies to halt arms supplies and other aid to Ukraine in its fight to reclaim land taken by Russia in its 19-month invasion of Ukraine.
The CTBT has been signed by 187 countries and ratified by 178 but it cannot go into force until eight specific holdouts have signed and ratified it. China, Egypt, Iran, and Israel have signed but not ratified it. North Korea, India and Pakistan have not signed.
Although the United States signed but did not ratify the treaty, it has observed a moratorium on nuclear weapons test explosions since 1992 that it says it has no plans to abandon.
On Thursday, President Vladimir Putin held out the possibility of resuming nuclear testing, raising concerns of a new nuclear arms race among Russia, the United States and China. (Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Gerry Doyle)