Post #28079

🎙Statement of the Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations Office and Other International Organizations in Geneva Ambassador Gennady Gatilov at the plenary meeting of the Conference on Disarmament (Geneva, January 20, 2026) Key talking points: • We are launching the session of our forum this year amid a challenging international environment. Naturally, the current situation on the world stage has a direct impact on the consideration of issues related to arms control, non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and strategic stability in general. Today’s world requires effort, responsibility, and conscious choices. • The search for compromise solutions is increasingly being replaced by unilateral and highly dangerous actions. Instead of dialogue between States, we hear the monologue of those who, by virtue of their power, consider it acceptable to dictate their will, lecture others on how to live their lives, and give orders. • In just a couple of weeks since the beginning of 2026, we have witnessed a blatant violation of the fundamental principle of international law and the UN Charter, aggression, attempts to interfere in the internal political processes of sovereign States, threats of force and the use of force. A striking example of the implementation of such a concept is the recent actions by Washington against Venezuela. • Dangerous tensions are growing around the Islamic Republic of Iran. The US, which already committed an act of armed aggression against Tehran last year, continues to exert enormous pressure on it. We call on Washington to abandon its militant rhetoric towards Iran, respect its sovereignty, and prevent a repeat of last year’s tragedy under false pretexts. • I cannot fail to mention the situation around Greenland, which has essentially caused panic within NATO. All this has a negative impact on strategic stability. 🇷🇺 Our country continues to face military, political, and economic aggression from many Western States. European countries, intoxicated by Russophobia, continue to pursue the utopian goal of inflicting a “strategic defeat” on Russia. Europeans, including the entire apparatus of the EU in Brussels, spare no resources in supporting the regime of Zelensky. • Russia has consistently proposed initiatives aimed at maintaining restraint and predictability in the field of arms control, disarmament, and non-proliferation, as well as in the sphere of international and regional security. • The proposal by Russian President Vladimir Putin that Moscow and Washington voluntarilyimpose restrictions on themselves in terms of compliance with the central limits under the Treaty on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (New START) after the termination of this treaty is a constructive and good faith initiative. • One of the priorities for the Russian delegation in 2026, as in previous years, is the work of the CD on agenda item 3 “Prevention of an arms race in outer space” (PAROS). • For Russia, one of the priorities remains the implementation of its initiative to develop an International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Chemical and Biological Terrorism, which was presented to the CD back in 2016 under the agenda item 6. • The Russian delegation has been closely following all proposals from CD Member States aimed at revitalizing the substantive work of our forum. We note the interest of some States in discussing the issue of emerging technologies at the Conference including issues related to the use of AI for military purposes. • The Russian delegation has consistently advocated for the principles of inclusiveness and multilateralism in the work of the Conference. At the same time, we are convinced that those States that are admitted to the forum as observers should contribute to the achievement of its goals and objectives, as well as the implementation of its mandate. Read in full