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Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Israel on Thursday of ignoring the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty while simultaneously criticizing other countries over nuclear weapons, as she used her weekly briefing in Izhevsk to address a sweeping range of international disputes.
Speaking at her regular press conference, Zakharova said U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran had undermined the NPT, the landmark 1968 treaty that forms the cornerstone of global efforts to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. "Israel dares to accuse other countries of nuclear proliferation," she said, adding that Israel has historically disregarded the NPT.
She also noted growing threats to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine and the Bushehr nuclear energy facility in Iran, without elaborating on the source or nature of those threats.
Zakharova offered a measured endorsement of the temporary ceasefire reached between the United States and Iran, saying Moscow viewed Washington's intention to extend the truce as a positive development that could allow for continued constructive dialogue between the two sides. "We hope they can resolve existing disagreements and reach final agreements," she said. "The situation needs to move in that direction."
She was sharply critical, however, of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's public statements suggesting the conflict with Iran was not over and that new developments could occur at any moment. "War rhetoric will not contribute to resolving the situation concerning Iran," Zakharova said.
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Turning to Europe, Zakharova alleged that Britain and France, together with other European elites opposed to Russia, were attempting to escalate the conflict in Ukraine to a nuclear level. She warned that any transfer of nuclear weapons to Ukraine would constitute a direct violation of the NPT. Zakharova also described plans by France and Poland to conduct joint exercises in the field of nuclear deterrence as "provocative."
On the European Union's adoption of its 20th package of sanctions against Russia, Zakharova said Moscow condemned all unilateral and illegitimate pressure tools and pledged a response that would be "firm" and aligned with Russian national interests.
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