This article was originally published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and is reprinted with permission.
The United States said the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) remains strong despite Russia’s “cynical obstructionism” after Moscow blocked the adoption of the final document of a monthlong review of the UN pact, complaining it was “blatantly political in nature.”
“After weeks of intensive but productive negotiations, the Russian Federation alone decided to block consensus on a final document at the conclusion of the Tenth Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty,” the State Department said in a statement on August 28.
“Russia did so in order to block language that merely acknowledged the grave radiological risk at the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine, the very kind of challenge the conference is called upon to address,” the statement added.
Concerns have been raised around the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhya nuclear facility, with Moscow and Kyiv both accusing the other side of shelling the plant, increasing the possibility of a nuclear disaster.
The West and Ukraine have demanded that Russian authorities allow UN inspectors into the site. Russia has said it will allow inspections but has not yet set a time frame.
The UN’s nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, said it has assembled a team and is waiting for clearance to visit the plant.
The NPT document blocked by Moscow included criticism of Russia’s occupation of the Zaporizhzhya plant, the largest in Europe.
The 191 signatories of the 50-year-old treaty, which aims to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and promote complete disarmament, must review the pact every five years. The current review was postponed in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The draft statement referred to Zaporizhzhya four times and expressed “grave concern for the military activities” near the plant. It also lamented the IAEA’s inability to ensure security there and prevent the possible diversion of nuclear materials.
The State Department said that “for the Russian Federation to not accept such language in the face of overwhelming international consensus underscores the need for the United States and others to continue urging Russia to end its military activity near [the plant] and return control of the plant to Ukraine.”
“The NPT remains and will remain the fundamental cornerstone of the nuclear nonproliferation regime and essential to advancing nuclear disarmament and the peaceful uses of nuclear energy,” the statement said.
“Russia’s actions reflect only on Russia. It is clear that the rest of the NPT’s States Parties recognize the Treaty’s role as an essential pillar of the international rules-based order.”
