The Managing Council of CERN decided on the roles of Russia and Belarus in the war in Ukraine.
Belarusian and Russian national flags. (Photo: Reuters)
The scientific laboratory that is home to the world’s largest atom-smasher says Ukraine plans to end all cooperation with Russia and Belarus over their roles in the war. The announcement was made on Friday, a day after CERN’s managing council made the decision.
In March, CERN suspended cooperation with the two countries over Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, which included the passage of Russian forces through Belarus for the February 24 invasion of Ukraine.
“Yesterday’s Council’s decision reaffirms its strong condemnation of the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, aided by Belarus, while leaving the door open for continued scientific cooperation,” CERN Director-General Fabiola Gianotti said in a statement.
The scientific organization said that the council “intends to terminate” CERN’s cooperation agreements with Belarus and Russia when they expire in June and December 2024, respectively. CERN said it would monitor developments in Ukraine and would be ready to take additional steps as warranted.
Such agreements generally last for five years and are usually renewed unless there is prior formal notification by one or both parties.
CERN, the historical acronym for what is now the European Organization for Nuclear Research, struggled with its response to the invasion as about 7% of its 18,000-odd researchers around the world were affiliated with Russian institutions before the war broke out.
The announcement comes as CERN’s Large Hadron Collider, the world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator, is in the process of starting its third run this summer.
The machine propels particles through an underground, 27-kilometer (17-mile) ring of superconducting magnets in and around Geneva, generating science that may help clarify mysteries such as dark matter or the Standard Model of particle physics. can help. Russian scientists have been involved in planning many experiments.