Russian Foreign Minister Accuses U.S., NATO of Violating NPT

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov yesterday at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva accused NATO, the U.S. and other European countries of violating the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty by conducting joint nuclear exercises. Lavrov also sought to highlight Russian nonproliferation efforts and took shots at U.S. and NATO nuclear policy. He remarked that in the early 1990s Russia reduced its arsenal of tactical nuclear weapons by one-third and centralized its intercontinental ballistic missiles at bases in Russia’s interior, and cited ongoing U.S. nuclear modernization and European deployment of U.S.-produced nuclear weapons that can reach Russian territory.

 

“I’d like to recall that Russia, by implementing the 1991-1992 presidential initiatives, reduced by three-quarters its arsenal of [non-strategic nuclear] weapons, transferred them to the non-deployed category and concentrated them at its central bases on its national territory,” he said in prepared remarks. “It took this unprecedented measure despite the fact that Europe still has operationally deployed U.S. nuclear weapons that can reach Russian territory. Moreover, these American weapons are being upgraded, and some European non-nuclear NATO countries take an active part in so-called ‘joint nuclear missions.’ This training in using nuclear weapons with the participation of non-nuclear NATO countries, which was reaffirmed at last year’s NATO summit in Wales, is being conducted in violation of the first two fundamental articles of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.” The State Department has not responded to requests for comment.