Joint Statement at the General Debate of the Third Preparatory Committee for the 2026 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons 

(New York, 29 April 2025)

Mr. Chair, 

I have the honour to speak on behalf of Albania, Andorra, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Georgia, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, the Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and my own country, Ukraine.

We, as States Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), condemn in the strongest terms the war of aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine in violation of the UN Charter, including the ongoing temporary occupation by the Russian Federation of parts of the territory of Ukraine. The use of military force and coercion to change borders has no place in the 21^st century. The international community will never recognize Russia’s illegal attempt to annex parts of Ukraine’s territory, including the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, and certain areas of the Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.

We reaffirm our commitment to the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, extending to its territorial waters, and urge the Russian Federation to immediately cease its aggression against Ukraine and unconditionally withdraw all its military forces and other personnel from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.

Russia’s aggression directly threatens non-proliferation and disarmament efforts and undermines international peace and security. We condemn in the strongest possible terms Russia’s irresponsible and threatening nuclear rhetoric as well as its posture of strategic intimidation, including its announced deployment of nuclear weapons in Belarus.

We underscore the importance of the IAEA Director General’s “seven indispensable pillars for ensuring nuclear safety and security in an armed conflict” and The Five Concrete Principles for protecting the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) put forward by the Director General.

We condemn Russia’s reckless and indiscriminate attacks against Ukraine’s civilians and civilian infrastructure, including those affecting electrical sub-stations which are critical to the off-site power supply for Ukraine’s nuclear power plants.

We emphasize that continued drone and missile attacks, including in the vicinity of Ukrainian nuclear facilities, pose significant nuclear safety risks. The drone incident causing a fire at the New Safe Confinement at the Chornobyl NPP last February is the latest deeply alarming example. This incident jeopardizes decades of international progress in making the site safe and secure after one of the world’s most dangerous nuclear disasters.

We renew our unequivocal condemnation of Russia’s illegal and unprecedented forceful seizure of the ZNPP – the largest in Europe - and the presence of the Russian military and other personnel at the ZNPP for more than three years. We stress that direct threats to the safety and security of the site and its civilian personnel significantly raise the risk of a nuclear accident or incident, endangering the population of Ukraine, neighbouring States and the international community.

We welcome the continued efforts of the IAEA Director General to address the risks to nuclear safety and security caused by the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine as well as to implement safeguards at the ZNPP, including through the continued physical presence of the IAEA Support and Assistance Mission to the ZNPP (ISAMZ). The safety and security of the Agency staff remains of paramount importance. We reiterate that ISAMZ must be granted full, unrestricted, and timely access to fully report on the nuclear safety and security situation at the ZNPP.

In this regard, we reiterate our concern over the ISAMZ rotation which was completed in March 2025 through a different route than previous rotations while stressing the exceptional nature of its rotation. We condemn Russia’s actions which deliberately obstruct the work of the IAEA in Ukraine and place the Agency’s personnel under unprecedented pressure in a high-risk environment. We underline the importance of guaranteeing the secure rotation of the Agency’s experts at the ZNPP, while respecting Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. We welcome the Agency’s continued confirmation that it acts in accordance with all relevant resolutions of the IAEA Board of Governors, General Conference, and the UN General Assembly in this regard. 

We reiterate our demand that the Russian Federation urgently withdraw its military and other personnel from the ZNPP and immediately return the plant to the full control of the sovereign and competent authorities of Ukraine to ensure its safety and security. This will enable the IAEA to conduct safe, efficient, and effective safeguards implementation in accordance with Ukraine’s comprehensive safeguards agreement and Additional Protocol, consistent with the call by the UN General Assembly, IAEA General Conference and Board of Governors.

Thank you.