Russia has blocked the adoption of the final protocol of the UN conference on nuclear weapons

Author:
Anhelina Sheremet
Date:

Russia has blocked an agreement at the UN aimed at strengthening the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons ( NPT ) due to the "political nature of the document". This is reported by The Guardian.

The final meeting was postponed for more than four hours due to Russiaʼs refusal to agree to a broad statement of support for the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, which mentioned the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Fridayʼs version of the final draft of the text emphasizes the "primary importance of ensuring control by the competent authorities of Ukraine of nuclear facilities, such as the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant."

The Russian delegation was the only one to speak out against the agreed text, but blamed Ukraine and its "defenders" for disrupting the conference, calling the negotiations "a one-way game." After the speech, the Russian delegation left the UN hall.

"The global conclusion for me is how far-reaching the consequences of Russiaʼs war in Ukraine have become. Even in the darkest moments of the Cold War, cooperation in support of the NPT was often possible. But what we saw today at the closing plenary does not bode well for the future of nuclear diplomacy, particularly on issues like arms control,” said Sarah Bigdud, director of the Eurasia Nonproliferation Program at the James Martin Center for Research.