After four weeks of conferences at UN Headquarters in New York, Russia pleaded politically motivated and blocked the adoption of a final declaration revising the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). The country has the largest arsenal of its kind in the world and is immersed in the Ukrainian War, which completed six months on the 24th and whose conflicts are far from over.
The treaty aims to prevent the proliferation of atomic weapons, promote complete disarmament and encourage cooperation for the peaceful use of this type of energy. The document is reviewed every year by 191 signatories.
Representatives of the countries have gathered since August 1 at the organization’s headquarters for a month of negotiations with the goal of reducing the world’s atomic arsenal. But, at the end of the meeting, the president of the conference, the Argentine Gustavo Zlauvinen, stated that the formalization of the agreement would not be possible because Russia disagreed with the text.
Igor Vyshnevetsky, representative of Moscow, said that the 30 pages of the final draft were out of balance. “Our delegation has objections to some paragraphs that are blatantly political in nature,” he said, claiming that Russia was not the only country that saw problems in the document.
Sources close to the negotiations said Russia was particularly critical of the paragraphs about Ukraine’s Zaporijia nuclear plant, which has been occupied by the country’s army since the first phase of the conflict.
The latest draft of the document expressed “grave concern” about military activities around Ukrainian power stations, as well as Kiev’s loss of control over these sites and the negative impact on security.
Although occupied by Russians, the Zaporijia plant is operated by Ukrainians. Both sides accuse each other of fighting dangerous battles around the complex, increasing the risk of radioactive accidents. There are concerns that a reactor or atomic waste dumps around the structure could be hit.
This Saturday (27), Ukrainian state nuclear energy company Energoatom warned of the risk of “spraying radioactive substances” in Zaporijia. According to the company on its Telegram channel, the infrastructure has been damaged and there are risks of leakage of hydrogen and other substances as a result of the recent bombings.
The operator also indicated that, on Saturday morning, the plant was operating at the “risk of violating radiation and fire safety parameters”.
The Russian Defense Ministry has again accused Ukraine of bombing the region of the complex. In a statement, it said Kiev forces had launched 17 projectiles at the site in the last few hours. The information could not be independently verified.
Since the beginning of August, Zaporijia has been the scene of explosions that have raised fears of a nuclear accident. While Russians blame Kiev for the offensive, Ukrainians say Moscow sabotages the plant to blame them for possible power cuts.
On Thursday (25), the plant was completely disconnected from the Ukrainian power grid for the first time in four decades due to “invaders’ actions”, according to Energoatom. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the current was cut by Russian bombing of the last active power line connecting the plant to the national grid.
The plant was reconnected on Friday (26). The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reinforced the call for a mission to be sent to the plant to help stabilize and re-establish safety protocols.
Also on Saturday, Austria criticized the attitude of the main powers during negotiations on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and not just Russia. “While three-quarters of the 191 signatory states support concrete progress towards nuclear disarmament, it is mainly the nuclear-weapon states, and Russia in particular, that resist,” the Vienna government said in a statement.
The note highlights that, contrary to the treaty commitments, the United States, China, France, the United Kingdom and Russia are improving or expanding their stockpiles of nuclear weapons. “During the negotiations in New York, there was no perceptible willingness to comply with contractual obligations,” the Austrian government added.
The signatories discussed other important topics at the UN during the conference, including Iran’s nuclear program and North Korea’s nuclear tests.
At the opening of the event, the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, warned that the world faces a nuclear danger that has not been observed since the height of the Cold War. “Today humanity is just one misunderstanding, one miscalculation, away from nuclear annihilation,” Guterres said.
