One Mistake Away from Annihilation

On August 1, world leaders were in New York for the 10th Review Conference for the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). They voiced their thoughts on avoiding nuclear warfare in the past and how to prevent one in the future.

A joint statement criticizing Russian aggression was issued during the proceedings by representatives of France, Great Britain, and the United States, declaring that Russia was using “irresponsible and dangerous nuclear rhetoric and behavior” and condemning the threat of nuclear weapons as "military coercion, intimidation, and blackmail."

In an appeal to the conference from the Kremlin, along with pointing out that Russia continues to follow NPT guidelines to the letter, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia is "guided by the understanding that there can be no winners in a nuclear war and such a war should never be unleashed."

This, however, did not jibe with previous Russian statements. Not long after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Russian officials released a statement indicating that they would use nuclear weapons if they felt they were experiencing an existential threat.