Russia Blocks Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Deal Over Ukraine

Russia late Friday blocked agreement on the final draft of a review of the UN treaty considered the cornerstone of nuclear disarmament over criticism of its actions in Ukraine, the Associated Press reported.

The four-week talks over updates to the 50-year-old Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, already delayed two years by the Covid-19 pandemic, were stymied over wording referencing Russia’s occupation of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power facility in Ukraine, Europe’s largest. With the war continuing, Russia has yet to allow international inspectors access to the facility.