Chemical Weapons Convention in the context of "Russia and nuclear weapons"

Chemical warfare (CW) involves using the toxic properties of chemical substances as weapons. This type of warfare is distinct from nuclear warfare, biological warfare and radiological warfare, which together make up CBRN, the military acronym for chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (warfare or weapons), all of which are considered "weapons of mass destruction" (WMDs), a term that contrasts with conventional weapons.

The use of chemical weapons in international armed conflicts is prohibited under international humanitarian law by the 1925 Geneva Protocol and the Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907. The 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention prohibits signatories from acquiring, stockpiling, developing, and using chemical weapons in all circumstances except for very limited purposes (research, medical, pharmaceutical or protective).

The Russian Federation is known to possess or have possessed three types of weapons of mass destruction: nuclear weapons, biological weapons, and chemical weapons. It is one of the five nuclear-weapon states recognized under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and one of the four countries wielding a nuclear triad. Russia has been alleged to violate the Biological Weapons Convention and Chemical Weapons Convention.

As of 2025, Russia's triad of deployed strategic nuclear weapons includes approximately 1,254 intercontinental ballistic missiles, 992 submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and 586 cruise missiles or bombs for delivery by Tupolev Tu-160 and Tu-95 bombers. It also possesses the world's largest arsenal of tactical nuclear weapons, approximately 1,500. Since 2022, Russia has provided tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus.

Syria's chemical weapons program began in the 1970s with weapons and training from Egypt and the Soviet Union, with production of chemical weapons in Syria beginning in the mid-1980s. Syria's chemical weapons program was the largest of any in the Middle East. For some time, Syria was believed to have the world's third-largest stockpile of chemical weapons, after the United States and Russia. Prior to September 2013 Syria had not publicly admitted to possessing chemical weapons, although Western intelligence services believed it to hold one of the world's largest stockpiles. In September 2013, French intelligence put the Syrian stockpile at 1,000 tonnes, including Yperite, VX and "several hundred tonnes of sarin". At the time, Syria was one of a handful of states which had not ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention. In September 2013, Syria joined the CWC (formally acceding on 14 October), and agreed to the destruction of its weapons, to be supervised by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), as required by the convention. A joint OPCW-United Nations mission was established to oversee the destruction process. Syria joined OPCW after international condemnation of the August 2013 Ghouta chemical attack, for which Western states held the Syrian government responsible (whilst Syria and Russia held the Syrian rebels of the Syrian civil war responsible) and agreed to the prompt destruction of its chemical weapons.

The destruction of Syria's chemical weapons that the Assad government had declared was completed by August 2014, yet further disclosures, incomplete documentation, and allegations of withholding part of Syria's chemical weapons stockpile since mean that serious concerns regarding chemical weapons and related sites in Syria remain. On 5 April 2017, the government of Syria allegedly unleashed a chemical attack that killed 70 civilians. A suspected chemical attack on Douma on 9 April 2018 that killed at least 49 civilians has been blamed on the Syrian Government.

The People's Republic of China has possessed nuclear weapons since the 1960s. It was the last to develop them of the five nuclear-weapon states recognized by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). China acceded to the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) in 1984, acceded to the NPT in 1992, and ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) in 1997.

China tested its first nuclear bomb in 1964 and its first full-scale thermonuclear bomb in 1967. It carried out 45 nuclear tests before signing the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty in 1996.

The Protocol for the Prohibition of the Use in War of Asphyxiating, Poisonous or other Gases, and of Bacteriological Methods of Warfare, usually called the Geneva Protocol, is a treaty prohibiting the use of chemical and biological weapons in international armed conflicts. It was signed at Geneva on 17 June 1925 and entered into force on 8 February 1928. It was registered in League of Nations Treaty Series on 7 September 1929. The Geneva Protocol is a protocol to the Convention for the Supervision of the International Trade in Arms and Ammunition and in Implements of War signed on the same date, and followed the Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907.

It prohibits the use of "asphyxiating, poisonous or other gases, and of all analogous liquids, materials or devices" and "bacteriological methods of warfare". This is now understood to be a general prohibition on chemical weapons and biological weapons between state parties, but has nothing to say about production, storage or transfer. Later treaties did cover these aspects – the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) and the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).

Title 22 of the United States Code outlines the role of foreign relations and intercourse in the United States Code.

• 22 U.S.C. ch. 1—Diplomatic and Consular Service Generally
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 2—Consular Courts
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 3—United States Court for China
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 4—Passports
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 5—Preservation of Friendly Foreign Relations Generally
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 6—Foreign Diplomatic and Consular Officers
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 7—International Bureaus, Congresses, Etc.
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 8—Foreign Service Buildings
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 9—Foreign Wars, War Materials, and Neutrality
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 10—Hemispheral Relations
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 11—Foreign Agents and Propaganda
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 12—Claims Commissions
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 13—Service Courts of Friendly Foreign Forces
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 14—Foreign Service
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 14A—Foreign Service Information Officers Corps
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 15—The Republic of the Philippines
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 16—Greek and Turkish Assistance
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 17—Relief Aid to War-Devastated Countries
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 18—United States Information and Educational Exchange Programs
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 19—Foreign Assistance Program
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 20—Mutual Defense Assistance Program
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 20A—Mutual Defense Assistance Control Program
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 21—Settlement of International Claims
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 21A—Settlement of Investment Disputes
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 22—Mutual Security Assistance
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 23—Protection of Citizens Abroad
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 24—Mutual Security Program
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 24A—Middle East Peace and Stability
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 25—Protection of Vessels on the High Seas and in Territorial Waters of Foreign Countries
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 26—Armed Forces Participation in International Amateur Sports Competitions
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 27—International Cultural Exchange And Trade Fair Participation
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 28—International Atomic Energy Agency Participation
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 29—Cultural, Technical, And Educational Centers
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 29A—Inter-American Cultural and Trade Center
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 30—International Cooperation in Health and Medical Research
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 31—International Travel
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 31A—National Tourism Organization
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 32—Foreign Assistance
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 33—Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Program
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 34—The Peace Corps
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 35—Arms Control and Disarmament
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 36—Migration and Refugee Assistance
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 37—Foreign Gifts and Decorations
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 38—Department of State
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 39—Arms Export Control
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 40—International Expositions
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 41—Study Commission Relating to Foreign Policy
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 42—International Economic Policy
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 43—International Broadcasting
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 44—Japan-United States Friendship
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 45—Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 46—International Investment And Trade In Services Survey
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 46A—Foreign Direct Investment And International Financial Data
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 47—Nuclear Non-Proliferation
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 48—Taiwan Relations
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 49—Support of Peace Treaty Between Egypt and Israel
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 50—Institute for Scientific and Technological Cooperation
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 51—Panama Canal
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 52—Foreign Service
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 53—Authorities Relating to the Regulation of Foreign Missions
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 53A—Disposition of Personal Property Abroad
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 53B—Foreign Relations of the United States Historical Series
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 54—Private Organization Assistance
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 55—Research and Training for Eastern Europe and Independent States of Former Soviet Union
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 56—United States Institute of Peace
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 57—United States Scholarship Program for Developing Countries
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 58—Diplomatic Security
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 59—Fascell Fellowship Program
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 60—Anti-Apartheid Program
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 61—Anti-Terrorism—PLO
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 62—International Financial Policy
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 63—Support for East European Democracy (SEED)
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 64—United States Response to Terrorism Affecting Americans Abroad
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 65—Control and Elimination of Chemical and Biological Weapons
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 66—United States-Hong Kong Policy
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 67—Freedom for Russia and Emerging Eurasian Democracies and Open Markets Support
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 68—Demilitarization of Former Soviet Union
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 68A—Cooperative Threat Reduction with States of Former Soviet Union
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 69—Cuban Democracy
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 69A—Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (Libertad)
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 70—Mansfield Fellowship Program
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 71—United States International Broadcasting
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 72—Nuclear Proliferation Prevention
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 73—International Religious Freedom
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 74—Foreign Affairs Agencies Consolidation
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 75—Chemical Weapons Convention Implementation
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 76—Assistance to Countries With Large Populations Having HIV/AIDS
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 77—United States-China Relations
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 78—Trafficking Victims Protection
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 79—Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 80—Diplomatic Telecommunications Service Program Office (DTS-PO)
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 81—International Criminal Court
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 82—Afghanistan Freedom
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 83—United States Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 84—Millennium Challenge
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 85—North Korean Human Rights
• 22 U.S.C. ch. 86—Climate Change Technology Deployment in Developing Countries

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is an intergovernmental organisation and the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), which entered into force on 29 April 1997. The OPCW, with its 193 member states, has its seat in The Hague, Netherlands; it oversees the global endeavour for the permanent and verifiable elimination of chemical weapons.

The organisation promotes and verifies the adherence to the Chemical Weapons Convention, which prohibits the use of chemical weapons and requires their destruction. Verification consists both of evaluation of declarations by member states and onsite inspections.

The nuclear weapons of the United States comprise the second-largest arsenal in the world, behind Russia. The US is only country to have used nuclear weapons in warfare, in the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II. The Manhattan Project, begun in 1942, made the US the first nuclear-armed country. The US operates a nuclear triad. The US previously possessed chemical and biological weapons. It is a ratifier of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Biological Weapons Convention, and Chemical Weapons Convention.

As of 2025, the United States actively deploys approximately 1,770 warheads, mostly under Strategic Command, to its nuclear triad. Of these, 970 warheads on Trident II submarine-launched ballistic missiles aboard to Ohio-class submarines with, 400 warheads to silo-based Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles, and 300 bombs and cruise missiles to B-2 Spirit and B-52 Stratofortress bombers. The US also forward deploys nuclear weapons in the form of approximately 100 B61 bombs in six European NATO countries: Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey, and United Kingdom. The US warhead inventory totals 5,177 warheads, with 1,930 warheads for reserve use, and another 1,477 awaiting dismantlement.

India possesses nuclear weapons and previously developed chemical weapons. As of 2025, India is estimated to possess 180 nuclear weapons. India is a ratifier of the Biological Weapons Convention and the Chemical Weapons Convention. India is also a subscribing state to the Hague Code of Conduct.

India conducted the Smiling Buddha nuclear weapon test in 1974, claimed as a "peaceful nuclear explosion", and the Pokhran-II test series in 1998. It is unclear if India has developed boosted fission or thermonuclear weapons. India has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty or Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, considering them flawed and discriminatory. India is the only non-NPT state to receive a waiver from the Nuclear Suppliers Group, allowing international nuclear industry commerce since 2008.

North Korea is the most recent country to develop and openly test nuclear weapons. As of 2024, its arsenal comprises approximately 50 nuclear weapons and production of fissile material for six to seven nuclear weapons per year. North Korea stockpiles a significant quantity of chemical and biological weapons. North Korea is party to the Biological Weapons Convention, one of four UN members not to ratify the Chemical Weapons Convention, and the only country to announce withdrawal from the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

North Korea is the only country confirmed to conduct nuclear weapons tests in the 21st century, carrying out six underground tests at Punggye-ri from 2006 to 2017. It is believed the country developed boosted fission or thermonuclear weapons. The Korean People's Army Strategic Force operates intercontinental ballistic missiles, and shorter-range ballistic and cruise missiles, some for tactical use. North Korea is developing submarine-launched ballistic missiles. Its missile development is linked to its satellite program.