Russian parliament to vote next week on de-ratifying nuclear test ban treaty

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's lower house of parliament, the State Duma, will vote next week on withdrawing Moscow's ratification of the global treaty that bans nuclear tests, lawmakers said on Thursday.

The Duma said it would hold a first reading on the bill on Oct. 17. Leonid Slutsky, head of the parliament's international affairs committee, said he expected it to complete its passage two days later.

All 450 members of the Duma would sponsor the motion, Slutsky said.

President Vladimir Putin said last week that the Duma should look at withdrawing Russia's ratification of the treaty in order to "mirror" the position of the United States, which has signed but never ratified the pact.

Putin said he was not ready to say whether Russia should actually resume tests involving nuclear explosions for the first time since 1990.

(Reporting by Reuters, writing by Mark Trevelyan; Editing by Andrew Osborn)