Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations

Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations

Russian Mission’s comments on the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

The emergence of a Treaty for the prohibition of nuclear weapons will not change reality in the field of strategic stability that mandates us to exercise utmost caution and responsibility with our evaluations of the future of nuclear disarmament.

We have always attached great importance to the factors affecting the situation in this sphere and shall continue to do so in the future. Amongst them – the creation by the US of a Global Missile Defense system, the possibility of the deployment of weapons in outer space, non-ratification of the CTBT by the US and several other states, the plans of Washington for the creation of a potential for a “Prompt Global Strike”, continued imbalance in conventional weapons.

Russia cannot move any further in the reduction of its nuclear weapons based only on bilateral agreements with the US (not to mention that the position of the Administration of President D.Trump on the New START or the INF Treaty remains uncertain). We have de facto reached the line after which relevant hypothetical negotiations should be held in a multilateral setting. We cannot continue to ignore the potential of all other nuclear weapon states any longer.