Lavrov Says Fate of Nuclear Nonproliferation Regime of Serious Concern
11:18 GMT 16.03.2026 (Updated: 12:22 GMT 16.03.2026)
© Sputnik / Igor Yegorov
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MOSCOW, March 16 (Sputnik) - The fate of the nuclear nonproliferation regime is of serious concern, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday.
"This year's discussions will take place against the backdrop of acute military and political crises in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf. The fate of the nuclear nonproliferation regime is of serious concern," Lavorv said in a video address to the participants of the Moscow Nonproliferation Conference.
There is also still no prospects for the entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, the minister said, adding that the United States has not yet clarified what President Donald Trump meant by giving instructions about the resumption of nuclear tests.
On Iran
Russia sees no signs of improvement in the US-Israeli military conflict with Iran, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday.
"We shared our assessments of the situation in the Middle East, including in relation to the US and Israeli armed aggression against Iran, and the deep crisis in which the Palestinian issue finds itself. There is no sign of a breakthrough yet, and we want to bring this to the attention of the UN Security Council," Lavrov said at talks with Kenya's Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi.
Russia calls for the cessation of hostilities in the Middle East and the start of negotiations, Lavrov said.
The countries that planned the attack on Iran expected to conquer the country in a day, now they began to realize how wrong they were, the minister said.
"It is necessary to stop the fighting and sit down at the negotiating table if the credibility of the negotiations still remains. And as the most urgent step, it is necessary to ensure that all participants stop actions that damage civilian infrastructure and lead to civilian casualties, both in the Arab countries of the Gulf and in Iran," Lavrov said at talks with Kenyan Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi, adding that it is difficult to predict consequences of the conflict.
Russia is ready to facilitate a peace settlement of the US-Israeli conflict with Iran if requested, as well as has capabilities for that, the minister said.
On Russia-Kenya Relations
Lavrov said that he discussed with Kenya's Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi security cooperation, including the supply of appropriate equipment.
"We talked about the prospects for cooperation in the fields of security and counterterrorism, including the supply of appropriate equipment from Russia," Lavrov told reporters after the talks.
Lavrov also said that during talks with Kenyan Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi, the two sides discussed expanding joint projects in nuclear energy and space exploration.
"We spoke in favor of expanding the practice of bilateral practical projects. Among the promising areas, we noted energy, including nuclear energy, telecommunications, agriculture, geological exploration, mining, and high technology, including space exploration," Lavrov said at a press conference following the talks.
The next Russia-Africa summit will be held in Moscow in October, Kenyan Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi said on Monday.
"We welcome the continued interest in Russia-Africa and the third round of this engagement shall be in October in Moscow," Mudavadi said after talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
