News Feed

US senators seek resolution to consider spread of radioactive waste by Russia as attack on NATO

2 min read
US senators seek resolution to consider spread of radioactive waste by Russia as attack on NATO
A Russian Yars intercontinental ballistic missile launcher parades through Red Square during the rehearsal of the Victory Day military parade in central Moscow on May 7, 2022. (Photo by KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images)

U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal on June 22 proposed a resolution to consider any potential nuclear or radioactive attack by Russia as an attack against NATO, given that radioactive waste spreads to NATO countries.

“(The resolution) views the use of any tactical nuclear weapon by the Russian Federation, the Republic of Belarus, or their proxies, or the destruction of a nuclear facility,  dispersing radioactive contaminates into NATO territory causing significant harm to human life as an attack on NATO requiring an immediate response, including the implementation of Article V of the North Atlantic Treaty,” Graham tweeted.

Article V of the North Atlantic Treaty states that a military attack on one member state is an attack on the entire alliance and warrants a joint NATO response, including through military force.

The two lawmakers also argue that Russia’s announced deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus is a threat to Ukraine and NATO member states.

Gro Harlem Brundtland: Pulling nuclear powers back from the brink
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has elevated global nuclear tensions to a level not seen since the height of the Cold War. Absent any signs of responsible leadership from Russian President Vladimir Putin, it is incumbent on the leaders of other nuclear-armed countries to take practical and promp…
Article image

The resolution proposes consultation between U.S. President Joe Biden's administration, NATO leaders, and other European partners to develop a strategy for minimizing threats to civilians and coordinate an appropriate diplomatic and military response to a potential attack.

According to Newsweek, Russia’s Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov responded that the proposal threatens to push the two countries into a nuclear exchange.

On June 16, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin claimed that the first batch of tactical nuclear weapons arrived in Belarus.

Ukraine’s military intelligence contested this statement, saying that Moscow has not yet delivered “a single nuclear warhead.”

On June 22, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that, based on intelligence reports, the Kremlin is considering a terrorist attack at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant by deliberately leaking radiation.

The president noted that, due to the unpredictable nature of radioactive fallout, such an act could affect the territory of NATO members.

Avatar
Martin Fornusek

Senior News Editor

Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.

Read more
News Feed

Seaborne crude flows averaged 3.12 million barrels a day over the four weeks to July 6, a 3% decline from the previous period ending June 29, according to tanker-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. That's the lowest level recorded since the four-week period ending Feb. 23.

Show More