Topic:
Country: Russian Federation
Delegate Name: Allison Bennett
Delegate: Allison Bennett
Country: Russian Federation
Committee: DISEC
Topic: Nuclear Disarmament and Emerging Nuclear States
The United Nations says that nuclear weapons are the most dangerous weapons on earth. It’s said that the danger of these weapons just comes from their very existence in the world, but nuclear weapons have only been used twice in warfare. Nuclear disarmament is the ultimate goal of a world without nuclear weapons. Disarmament is said to be the best protection against nuclear weapons. There are nine countries who possess nuclear weapons, those being the United States, United Kingdom, the Russian Federation, France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Between these nine states there is an estimated total of 13,000 nuclear weapons, which is lower than the count during the Cold War at 60,000. There are also five nations hosting the United State’s nuclear weapons, these countries being Turkiye, Italy, Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands. Twenty-six other countries, plus the five host nations, who also endorse the possession and use of nuclear weapons. Allowing the potential use of these nuclear weapons on their behalf as part of defense alliances. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) also endorse the possession of nuclear weapons.
The Russian Federation has consistently voted against an annual United Nations General Assembly resolution since 2018 that welcomes the adoption of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). The resolution calls upon all states to sign, accede and ratify the TPNW at the earliest possible date. The Russian Federation, along with other nuclear-armed states, has said that it does not accept any claim that the TPNW contributes to the development of customary international law. The Russian Federation called upon all states that are considering supporting the treaty to reflect seriously on its implications for international peace and security. The Russian minister for foreign affairs said in 2019 that the goal of eliminating nuclear weapons cannot be achieved. The Russian Federation claims the methods of disarmament in the TPNW are unilateral and arrogant. In June 2022, Russia, along with other nuclear-armed states, did not attend the first meeting of state parties to the TPNW, but did issue a statement criticizing the outcome of the meeting. The Russian Federation does not intend to join this agreement and believes that the treaty does not establish any universal standards.
The Russian Federation is firmly against the push towards nuclear disarmament, believing that nuclear weapons could be used as a reinforcement of national borders as well as other uses. Nuclear weapons should also be allowed in the cases of private military operations. The Russian Federation looks highly upon the other eight nuclear states and the thirty-one other countries who endorse nuclear weapons to put the nations’ differences aside and work together to assure no nation is forcibly disarmed, keeping peace within the nations.
