Russian official: Meeting of “nuclear five” may be held in New York

A meeting of representatives of the so-called “nuclear five” countries may be held in New York on the sidelines of the upcoming Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), according to Russian officials.

Andrey Belousov, head of the Russian delegation and Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Foreign Ministry, said in an interview that preparations for the meeting are currently underway, although final agreements have not yet been reached.

He explained that the “nuclear five” format was established to facilitate discussions on issues related to the NPT agenda, adding that review conferences provide a natural venue for engagement among nuclear-weapon states.

The “nuclear five” refers to an informal grouping of five countries: Russia, China, the United States, the United Kingdom, and France.

The 11th Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons is scheduled to take place in New York from April 27 to May 22.

By Tamilla Hasanova