Zakharova: Russia will not join Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

Russia will not join the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Friday.

She made this comment following the completion of the first conference of states-participants of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

According to her, assertive advancement of the treaty deepens disunity between states and undermines the regime of Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

“In connection with the desire to put on a permanent basis the efforts to universalize the TPNW, as recorded in the final documents of the conference, we emphasize: Russia does not intend to join this agreement and believes that the treaty does not establish any universal standards: neither now nor in the future,” she said.

According to Zakharova, Moscow continues to firmly adhere to the position that the development of the TPNW was premature, erroneous and, in fact, counterproductive. This agreement does nothing to reduce the growing nuclear risks and does not bring humanity one step closer to the goal stated in it, and the approach laid down in the TPNW only leads to an increase in contradictions between nuclear and non-nuclear states, she stressed.

“It does not take into account the military-political and military-strategic situation and runs counter to the principle that nuclear disarmament should be carried out in such a way that it would lead to “an increase in the level of security for all.” We do not see realistic ways to implement any – or practical measures to directly reduce nuclear weapons,” the diplomat continued.

“Russia, like all other states with military nuclear potential, did not take part in the conference of states-participants of the TPNW and does not intend to do so in the future. We also do not plan to build joint work with auxiliary structures created as part of the interaction of the participants of the TPNW to implement it,” she said.

Ukrainian claims of forced evacuation of children from Donbass to Russia a lie

Accusations of Russia’s forceful abduction of minors from Donbass, contained in the Verkhovna Rada’s address to the UN, are a cynical lie, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Saturday.

“We noted the address of the Verkhovna Rada to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC), UN International Court, UN High Commissioner for Refugees about the alleged ‘abduction and forced deportation of Ukrainian children’ to the Russian territory, published on June 19. The false claims contained there have been repeatedly voiced before during the informational campaign on accusing our country of forced transportation of minors from Donbass, deployed in Ukraine and in international organizations,” Zakharova said in her commentary, published on the Foreign Ministry website.

The diplomat noted that such claims are cynical, because, “during the eight years of armed conflict, over 150 children died in this region, and many times more were injured.”

“As of June 23, 2022, over 2 million people, almost 325,000 of them minors, have been evacuated from dangerous regions of Ukraine and Donbass republics to the Russian Federation. All these people travelled to our country voluntarily, saving their lives and lives of their children,” Zakharova noted.

The spokeswoman underscored that Russian institutions continue their active work on provision of addressed humanitarian and medical aid to children, including psychological rehabilitation and search for relatives.

Source: Tass