The use of nuclear weapons as a means of war should be excluded. The Russian Federation calls on all nuclear powers to officially confirm their commitment to this postulate, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in message to the participants of the memorial ceremony in Hiroshima on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing.
According to the Russian Foreign Minister, as a nuclear-weapon State, Russia recognizes its responsibility for international security, and global and regional stability. The Russian Federation is aware of the impact that the use of nuclear weapons may have. He noted that "with great concern" Russia today notes the degradation of the international arms control system, denunciation of treaties, disregard of the principles of undiminished security of States, and a significant increase in nuclear risks.
Lavrov drew attention to an alarming shift in doctrinal military and political policies towards the idea that it is acceptable to employ nuclear weapons as a means of warfare. He stated that it was necessary to eliminate the risk of military confrontation between the nuclear powers and rule out the possibility of a nuclear war. Lavrov stressed that such a war cannot be won and must never be unleashed. "We suggest that all nuclear powers officially confirm their commitment to this tenet," Lavrov concluded.
As the Minister pointed out, Moscow confirms its commitments under the Non-Proliferation Treaty and, in the face of the dismantlement of the INF Treaty by the United States, Russia unilaterally undertook not to deploy ground-launched intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles "in any given region of the world until relevant US-made weapons are deployed there". For further progress on the path of nuclear disarmament, he added, it is necessary to discuss such issues as the deployment of a global missile defense system by the United States, development of high-precision non-nuclear strategic offensive arms, weaponization of outer space and cyberspace, and the United States' refusal to ratify the CTBT.
History lesson
Lavrov recalled that the United States launched a nuclear attack against Hiroshima and Nagasaki, realizing that the WWII was coming to an end. As the Minister explained, the Soviet offensive in the Far East, as part of the agreements between the Allies, not only liberated China and Korea, but also took away Japan’s motivation to continue military operations. He called atomic bombings by the United States "a show of force and an operational test of nuclear weapons on civilians". Lavrov recalled that the United States was the first and only country to use this type of weapons of mass destruction.
The Russian Foreign Minister noted that Soviet representatives were among the first foreign observers to visit the site of the tragedy and collect detailed materials that were submitted to the leadership of the country. "This and other information on the results of the study into the consequences of nuclear explosions in Japan was subsequently made public and presented to the wider international community. We would expect others to follow suit, showing respect to historical truth and ensuring transparency with regard to those events," Lavrov noted.
"We must join our efforts to ensure that the terror and pain of Hiroshima and Nagasaki will never repeat," the Minister concluded.
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Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from TASS