Statement by H.E. Mr. Oleksandr Mishchenko, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine 

at the General Debate of the 2026 Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons

 

 

Your Excellency Mr. President, excellencies, distinguished participants,

As we gather here in New York, Russia continues unselective attacks on Ukrainian cities, killing civilians and damaging energy infrastructure, including power grids linked to nuclear facilities. This escalation, amid efforts toward a just and lasting peace, shows Russia`s true intent: no interest in ending the war it began against Ukraine in 2014.

In 1994, Ukraine made the historic decision to give up its nuclear arsenal and join to the Non-Proliferation Treaty as a non-nuclear State. We placed all our nuclear facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards. In return, we received security “assurances” through the Budapest Memorandum, which as we see today were fundamentally destroyed

Russia’s invasion has exposed the region’s nuclear safety to unprecedented risks, as the aggressor deliberately targets Ukrainian nuclear sites and conducts combat activities around them. The Russian leadership exploits this escalation to divide our partners, weaken support for Ukraine, and use our nuclear facilities as a leverage against the international community.

This reflects the Kremlin’s long-standing nuclear blackmail, dating back to 2014, using threats and its nuclear capabilities to intimidate and manipulate the international community. Moscow also exploits “Rosatom” abroad to influence political decisions and advance its objectives, undermining global security and stability.

Russia not only violates international law by attacking Ukraine, but also systematically undermines the global non‑proliferation and disarmament regimes. Moscow’s non‑compliance caused the collapse of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty and, in 2023, led to withdrawal of Russia`s ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear‑Test‑Ban Treaty.

This is all about the same country – the Russian Federation, which is a State Party to the NPT, a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, and a participant in all nuclear non-proliferation regimes – constantly disregards the core missions of these organizations.

Just imagine – in the 21st century, a nuclear-armed state and member of major international organizations deliberately engages in nuclear blackmail and threatens their use in its illegal war against Ukraine, en-dangering global peace and security.

Mr. President,

Yesterday we commemorated the 40th anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster — a tragedy that remains a powerful reminder of the far-reaching consequences of nuclear accidents. We recall the damage caused by a Russian drone strike on the New Safe Confinement at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant in February 2025, which caused a serious damage of its structure and the risk of the nuclear leak.

Ukraine expresses its sincere gratitude to all States and international organizations for their support for the projects, including the repair of the New Safe Confinement, announced at the International Donor Conference on Chornobyl Recovery and Nuclear Safety, held in Kyiv yesterday.

The situation at another threatened Ukrainian nuclear facility – the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant remains extremely alarming. We firmly reject Russia’s attempts to restart the reactors at Zaporizhzhia NPP and call on the international community to pressure Russia to release the unlawfully detained Ukrainian Plant`s personnel.

We underscore the critical importance of resuming Agency staff rotations to the Zaporizhzhia NPP through the territory under the control of Ukraine, as the only safe, secure and legitimate route.

Ukraine also calls on all States to support its re-election to the Agency Board of Governors to ensure continued focus on nuclear safety and security in conditions of the war.

Mr. President,

Ukraine highly values the Agency's central role in upholding the global non-proliferation regime. Russia's aggression against Ukraine clearly demonstrates that attacks on non-nuclear states, occupation of nuclear facilities, interference with safeguards, and nuclear coercion directly undermine the NPT's foundations. But Russia’s aggression undermines all three pillars of the NPT.

First, Russia’s actions undermine non‑proliferation. The illegal occupation of Zaporizhzhia NPP, manipulation of its status, pressure on Ukrainian staff, restrictions on Agency oversight, and interference with safeguards constitute nuclear piracy: armed seizure of a civilian facility, unlawful capture of safeguarded material, and an attack on safeguards integrity, ownership, and the principle that nuclear material cannot be taken by force.

Second, Russia undermines the principle of peaceful use of nuclear energy. By occupying Zaporizhzhia NPP, militarizing the area, threatening off‑site power and reactor cooling, and attacking Chornobyl’s New Safe Confinement, it turns protected civilian infrastructure into a tool of military and political pressure – directly violating the NPT’s purposes and principles on peaceful nuclear use.

Third, Russia undermines nuclear disarmament. Ukraine gave up the world’s third‑largest nuclear arsenal in good faith by joining the NPT as a non‑nuclear‑weapon state. Today, Russia – despite its security assurances – wages war, occupies Ukrainian territory, threatens nuclear disaster, and normalizes nuclear intimidation, signalling that disarmament does not guarantee security while nuclear weapons protect the aggressor, thereby eroding the NPT and global disarmament architecture.

Ukraine calls for strong, principled support for the Agency’s work in Ukraine, including its presence at our nuclear sites. All facilities within Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders, including the Zaporizhzhia NPP, must remain under Ukraine’s full sovereign control, with the Agency’s authority.

In this context, Ukraine underscores the need for full cooperation with the Agency on safeguards worldwide. Verification must remain objective, technically sound, and free from political manipulation — a principle that must apply equally in all cases involving sensitive nuclear issues.

Mr. President, 

Ukraine remains firmly committed to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, urging all Annex two states to ratify it without delay, as voluntary moratoriums cannot replace a binding global ban. We also support the Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty as a key step to curb the nuclear arms race and advance efforts to secure nuclear materials as essential pillars of non-proliferation and disarmament.

Furthermore, the deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus – building on existing delivery systems and Minsk’s new military doctrine enabling their potential use poses a serious threat to the international non‑proliferation regime and undermines multilateral disarmament efforts.

Mr. President,

Four years into Russia’s war against Ukraine, the human cost keeps rising and the rules‑based international order is being systematically undermined. Decisive international action is essential to deter further aggression and ensure the UN Charter and the NPT are enforced, not ignored.

Ukraine will remain at the forefront of these efforts and calls on the NPT States Parties to stand united.

Thank you.