Zakharova made the comment following the completion of the first conference of states parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. The assertive advancement of the treaty deepens disunity between states and undermines the regime of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, she said. 

The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was adopted by the United Nations (UN) in July 2017.

62 countries and territories have ratified the treaty, which took effect from January 2021. However, countries possessing nuclear weapons, including the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (the US, UK, France, China and Russia), as well as members of the North Atlantic Ocean (NATO), have not signed the TPNW.