The review conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty failed to adopt a long-sought report Friday after last-minute opposition from Russia scuttled hopes for consensus at the conclusion of the nearly monthlong session at the U.N. headquarters.
The nuclear disarmament conference ended without issuing a report for the second straight time, the same outcome seen at the previous session held in 2015.
The lack of agreement this time marked another setback for the already weakened forum that is tasked with convincing the world that relevant nuclear weapon policies and technologies are properly controlled.
The fate of a Russian-seized atomic power plant in Ukraine and a call for states to adopt doctrines banning the pre-emptive use of nuclear weapons were among the contentious issues that stymied debate during the gathering which began Aug. 1 in New York.
"To my deep regret, this conference was not able to reach consensus," the conference's Argentinian President Gustavo Zlauvinen told a plenary session at the U.N. General Assembly, noting only one party opposed it.
A Russian delegate defended the country's decision to object, telling the session that some paragraphs of the final draft report were "blatantly political" without elaboration.
"Here in this room, there are many delegations who have objections to the text," the Russian representative posited.
Adam Scheinman, special representative of the U.S. president for nuclear nonproliferation, told the session, "Russia is the reason we do not have consensus today."
"Russia is the one that has invaded a sovereign country in violation of the U.N. Charter," Scheinman said.
The treaty, which came into effect in 1970, authorizes only five countries to possess nuclear arsenals, namely Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.
The NPT framework has all the nuclear powers as members while none of the five participate in the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which took effect last year.
Other non-nuclear weapon countries demanded the final document contain specific goals and deadlines for disarmament.
The review conference convenes once every five years, in principle, to assess the situation surrounding nuclear disarmament among other issues under the treaty, which now has 191 parties.
In the final version of a proposed report for the latest session, the conference stressed "the paramount importance of ensuring control by Ukraine's competent authorities of nuclear facilities" such as the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
The conference also "expresses its grave concern" about military activities at the Zaporizhzhia plant.
An earlier version clearly said military activities at the nuclear plant were conducted by "the Russian Federation," but the reference was dropped upon protest from the country's delegation. Ukraine, however, maintained that the reference was necessary.
In an earlier version of the report, participants also discussed a call for states to adopt doctrines banning preemptive use of nuclear weapons, but the latest version omits the matter.
A U.S. government official said Washington demanded its removal ahead of the final report.
Member countries failed to agree on a final document in 2015, while the 2020 meeting was postponed until this year due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Australia's plan to acquire nuclear-powered submarines in a security cooperation pact with Britain and the United States was also among the thorny issues.
China, which maintains assertive stances in areas in the South China Sea and near Australia, demanded the draft report ensure the technology for the vessels' propulsion system will not be diverted for use in a weapon, according to an earlier version of the draft report.
