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Lavrov Restates Russia’s Policy, ‘A Nuclear War Cannot Be Won and Should Never Be Fought’

March 2, 2022 (EIRNS)—In a video address to the Disarmament Conference in Geneva, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reiterated Moscow’s fundamental policy that nuclear war has no winners and should never be fought. He recounted Moscow’s efforts in this direction. “This principle has been confirmed in the June 16, 2021, joint statement of the presidents of Russia and the U.S., as well as in the June 28, 2021, joint statement of the heads of Russia and China. It is important that, under Russia’s initiative and with its most active participation, a joint statement of leaders of the five nuclear powers was developed and adopted on January 3 about prevention of nuclear war and prevention of an arms race,” Lavrov added.

Lavrov also expressed grave concerns over Ukraine’s intention to become a nuclear state. He stressed that the “irresponsible statements” by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Munich security conference regarding plans for obtaining nuclear weapons were not “bravado.”

“Ukraine has Soviet nuclear technologies and delivery vehicles. We cannot but react to this real danger. I can promise you that Russia as a responsible member of the international community, determined to adhere to its WMD non-proliferation commitments, has been taking every measure to prevent Ukraine from laying hands on nuclear weapons and the related technologies.”

Russia’s strategic goals, the security guarantees that Russia was seeking from NATO as expressed in the draft treaties that were released last December, Lavrov continued, have not changed with the launching of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine. “[Our] Western colleagues have not yet shown any willingness to provide Russia with long-term legally binding security guarantees. .... For us, achieving these objectives is of fundamental importance.”

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