Russia Opposes... Failure to Adopt Final Document at Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference

Vladimir Putin, President of Russia [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] This year’s outcome document of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference failed to be adopted due to Russia’s opposition.

According to foreign media on the 27th, Igor Vishnevetsky, Deputy Director of the Department of Non-Proliferation and Arms Control at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that not only Russia but also many other countries disagreed with several issues in the draft.

The circulated draft at the Review Conference was 36 pages long, and for the outcome document to be adopted, it requires the approval of all 191 NPT member states. It is reported that the draft also contained criticism of Russia for occupying the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the largest in Europe, following the invasion of Ukraine.

The NPT is an international treaty aimed at preventing the spread of nuclear weapons, and the Review Conference, which strengthens the resolution, monitors implementation, and discusses new issues, is held every five years. This meeting was originally scheduled for 2020 but was postponed due to the spread of COVID-19 and was held after seven years.

The conference, which opened on the 1st, was held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York until this day. This is the second time that the outcome document of the Review Conference has not been adopted. During the 2015 conference, consensus also failed due to strong disagreements over a proposal to create a weapons of mass destruction (WMD)-free zone in the Middle East.

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