In remarks initially of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference on the United Nations, the highest US diplomat warned that the landmark settlement is “under increasing strain” because of not solely the actions of Russia, but additionally of North Korea and Iran.
In his remarks, Blinken famous that Russia had joined with the opposite NPT nuclear states — the United States, United Kingdom, France, and China — in a joint assertion in January emphasizing the significance of avoiding nuclear struggle and arms races, however “the very next month, Russia launched a full scale invasion of Ukraine.”
“It’s engaging in reckless, dangerous nuclear saber rattling, with its president warning that those supporting Ukraine self-defense ‘risk consequences such as you have never seen in your entire history,'” Blinken stated.
Unlike in January, solely three of the NPT nuclear states — the US, UK, and France — launched a joint assertion Monday initially of the convention, during which they referred to as on Russia “to cease its irresponsible and dangerous nuclear rhetoric and behaviour, to uphold its international commitments, and to recommit — in words and deeds — to the principles enshrined in the recent Preventing Nuclear War and Avoiding Arms Races Leaders’ statement,” referencing the one launched in January.
Blinken stated Russia’s struggle is in violation of the UN Charter, the rules-based worldwide order, and the Budapest Memorandum — the 1994 settlement underneath which Russia pledged to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and Kyiv agreed to forfeit its nuclear weapon arsenal.
“What message does this send to any country around the world that may think that it needs to have nuclear weapons to protect, to defend, to deter aggression against its sovereignty and independence? The worst possible message,” he stated. “And so it’s directly relevant to what’s going on here this month at the United Nations.”
“Most recently, we saw Russia’s aggression with its seizure of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest such plant in all of Europe,” Blinken continued. “Russia is now using the plant as a military base to fire at Ukrainians, knowing that they can’t and won’t shoot back because they might accidentally strike a reactor or highly radioactive waste in storage.”
“That brings the notion of having a human shield to an entirely different and horrific level,” he stated.
Blinken contrasted the actions by Moscow to these of the US, which he stated has sought to keep away from escalation “by forgoing previously scheduled ICBM tests and not raising the alert status of our nuclear forces in response to Russian saber rattling.”
“There is no place in our world, no place in our world for nuclear deterrence based on coercion, intimidation, or blackmail,” he stated.
Blinken additionally referred to as out North Korea for its nuclear provocations, noting that “as we gather today, Pyongyang is preparing to conduct its seventh nuclear test.”
The prime US diplomat stated “Iran remains on a path of nuclear escalation.”
“Although it publicly claims to favor return to mutual compliance with the JCPOA, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, since March Iran has been either unwilling or unable to accept the deal to achieve precisely that goal,” Blinken stated. “Getting back to the JCPOA remains the best outcome for the United States, for Iran, for the world.”