President Vladimir Putin sent greetings to the Non-Proliferation Conference, expressing the hope that it will contribute to a “productive” event given “the current difficult international situation.” In his message, Putin said more must be done before one could expect much progress in negotiating more nuclear arms limitations. He also underlined the right of all nations to the peaceful use of nuclear energy, a right which is in fact being questioned by the US military operations against Iran.
Even stronger words came from Gennady Gatilov, Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Office in Geneva. In an interview given to the Russian press on the sidelines of the event, Gatilov pointed to the “extremely tense international political situation and sharp disagreements between the States Parties to the Treaty.” This will have a “direct impact on the nature of the discussions.” He added bluntly: “To be honest, the situation surrounding the Treaty is alarming.”
Gatilov questioned the US operations against Iran, as well as the saber-rattling and threats coming from the European leaders about increasing their own nuclear arsenals, and even threatening to send nuclear weapons to Ukraine. “We understand that, under the current circumstances, ensuring a productive outcome from the Conference will be extremely difficult. This requires States to set aside their purely opportunistic ambitions, refrain from politicizing the event, and refrain from pushing deliberately unsustainable language into the final document. Whether this will be successful remains to be seen,” he said.
