Agreement to Prevent Nuclear War

The Agreement on the Prevention of Nuclear War (AVA) of June 22, 1973 is an international treaty signed in Washington between the USA and the USSR at the political level and led to the superpowers being obliged to consult Case of a nuclear crisis. In the run-up to this, negotiations had already taken place on the occasion of the visit by US President Richard Nixon on May 29, 1972 to Moscow and the signing of a joint declaration of principle on American-Soviet relations.

According to US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger , the Soviet Union was initially planning a nuclear non-aggression pact with certain clauses; the treaty would then have led to the abandonment of the first nuclear strike and made deterrence more predictable and led to a distinction between nuclear and conventional conflict. An aspect contrary to the then applied NATO strategy of flexible response .

Instead, from the US point of view, an agreement was concluded to prevent war. The agreement also made no distinction between a nuclear and conventional crisis and also included consultation obligations with regard to third countries.

Article II of the treaty provides for the renunciation of force, and if war broke out between the two states, the agreement would have become invalid. In terms of military strategy, the agreement also provides the right to use nuclear power in the event of a conventionally waged war, as this does not exclude the prevention of a nuclear war through the outbreak of a conventionally waged war (i.e. without the use of nuclear weapons).

Contract text

The United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, hereinafter referred to as the Contracting Parties, are guided by the goal of establishing world peace and security; Knowing that nuclear war would have devastating consequences for humanity; Inspired by the desire to create conditions under which the risk of nuclear war erupting anywhere in the world will be reduced and ultimately eliminated; Recalling its obligations under the Charter of the United Nations relating to the maintenance of peace, the renunciation of the threat and use of force and the avoidance of war, and in accordance with the agreements signed by each of the two parties; on the basis of the Basic Principles for Relations between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, signed in Moscow on May 29, 1972; Reaffirming the fact that the development of relations between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics is not directed against any other country or its interests, HAVE AGREED as follows;

Article I.

The United States and the Soviet Union agree that one goal of their policy is to eliminate the threat of nuclear war and the use of nuclear weapons . Accordingly, the Contracting Parties agree to conduct themselves in such a way as to prevent situations that could cause a dangerous deterioration in their relations, to avoid military confrontations and to prevent nuclear war from breaking out between them and between each of the Contracting Parties and other countries is excluded.

Article II

The Contracting Parties agree to assume, in accordance with Article I and in order to achieve the objective stated in this Article, that each Contracting Party will threaten and use force against the other Contracting Party in situations which could endanger international peace and security , towards the allies of the other Contracting Party and towards other countries. The Parties agree that they will be guided by these considerations in defining their foreign policy and in their actions in the field of international relations.

Article III

The contracting parties undertake to develop their relations with one another and with other countries in a manner that is consistent with the objectives of this agreement.

Article IV

If at any time relations between the parties or between either party and other countries appear to create a risk of nuclear conflict, or when relations between countries that are not parties to this Agreement present a risk of nuclear war between the United States of America and appear to evoke the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the United States and the Soviet Union will immediately enter into urgent consultations in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement and will do everything possible to avert such risk.

Article V.

Each Contracting Party shall be free to inform the United Nations Security Council , the Secretary-General of the United Nations, and the governments of allied or other countries of the progress and outcome of consultations entered into under Article IV of this Agreement.

Article VI

Nothing in this agreement affects or affects anything

a) the inalienable right to individual or collective self-defense under Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations;
b) the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations, including those relating to the maintenance or restoration of world peace and security, and
c) the commitments entered into by each of the two Contracting Parties towards their allies or other countries in treaties, agreements and other relevant documents.

Article VII

This agreement is of unlimited duration.

Article VIII

This Agreement shall enter into force upon signature.

Given in Washington on June 22, 1973 in duplicate in English and Russian, both texts being equally authentic.

For the United States of America
Richard Nixon
President of the United States of America

For the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
L.I Brezhnev
General Secretary of the Central Committee, CPSU

Web links

Contract text in English