US attacks Russia’s ‘cynical obstructionism’ for blocking UN nuclear treaty

Russian officials have been blasted by their United States counterparts for “cynical obstructionism” after Moscow blocked the United Nations from adopting a joint declaration on nuclear non-proliferation.

The US said on Sunday that after weeks of talks on The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which aims to stop the spread of nuclear weapons and promotes disarmament, that Russia had prevented the declaration from being adopted over “cynical” aspects of the text.

Moscow had claimed that certain “political” aspects of the declaration, which is reviewed every few years and signed by 191 nations, were problematic, in apparent reference to “grave concerns” raised by the international community about the safety of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) in Ukraine.

“After weeks of intensive but productive negotiations, the Russian Federation alone decided to block consensus on a final document” said State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel in a statement on Sunday attacking Moscow.

Zaporizhia, which Mr Patel said was the “very kind of challenge the (NPT) conference is called upon to address”, was due to see a UN nuclear watchdog team arrive for urgent inspections on Monday amid ongoing concerns for safety.

The team of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) officials will look for any damage sustained by the nuclear plant since it came under Russian control in March while evaluating the health and conditions of employees, according to the UN.

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Reports of shelling in the Russian-occupied area of the country have added to those concerns in recent weeks, with Russian defence officials on Monday accusing Ukraine of sending a drone into the sky above the ZNPP, which remains unconfirmed.

Only last week, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said the world came close to disaster after alleged Russian shelling had caused fires to break out close to the ZNPP, which was temporarily disconnected from the country’s power grid after requiringback-up diesel generators to ensure power supply and safety.

Mr Patel, the State Department spokesperson, said Russia’s block on the NPT was done “in order to block language that merely acknowledged the grave radiological risk at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine,” which is Europe’s largest such facility.

“For the Russian Federation to not accept such language in the face of overwhelming international consensus underscores the need for the United States and others to continue urging Russia to end its military activity near ZNPP and return control of the plant to Ukraine,” Mr Patel added.

Additional reporting by Reuters