Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasized that only Western nations discuss scenarios involving nuclear war. He made this statement during an interview on the "60 Minutes" program on the Rossiya-1 television channel.
"We have never initiated discussions about the use of nuclear weapons or its scenarios. On the contrary, in 2021, it was Russia that proposed reaffirming the Gorbachev-Reagan formula at both the Putin-Biden meeting and among the leaders of the five nuclear states, stating that 'a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought.' This initiative was ours," Lavrov said.
He pointed out that discussions of scenarios permitting nuclear warfare have only been voiced by Western capitals.
"For example, the German Army Chief of Staff recently declared proudly, 'Let Russia not intimidate us too much, NATO is a nuclear alliance.' Former British Prime Minister Liz Truss openly stated that she would not hesitate to push the nuclear button if necessary. French officials also reminded the world of their nuclear capabilities," Lavrov noted.
He also referenced recent remarks by a US Pentagon general, who reportedly discussed the possibility of limited nuclear exchanges with Russia and how to emerge victorious from such a confrontation.
"We directly asked for clarification on these statements. While they tried to downplay their significance, calling them purely theoretical, such comments cannot be taken lightly," Lavrov added, questioning the seriousness of such remarks.
He concluded by underscoring the dangers of these discussions, reiterating Russia's commitment to nuclear deterrence and its stance against the use of such weapons.
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Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on TASS materials