The Risk of Nuclear Confrontation: Russia’s Stance on US and NATO Escalation

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that Russia remains a supporter of the principle of inadmissibility of nuclear war and proceeds from the fact that there can be no winners in such a war. At the same time, he noted that the escalation by the US and NATO countries puts them at risk of a direct confrontation of nuclear forces.

“In the context of the Ukrainian conflict, the great danger is that by leading things to an escalation, the US and the NATO countries risk reaching a direct armed confrontation of nuclear forces. We believe that such a development should and can be prevented. That is why we must to remind of the existence of high military-political risks and to send sobering signals to our opponents,” the minister told International Life magazine. The transcript was published on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry, BGNES reported.

According to Lavrov, possessing nuclear weapons is the only possible response to “some significant external threats to the security” of the Russian Federation, and “the development of the situation around Ukraine has confirmed the validity of our concerns in this area.”

In early August, Russian authorities called on the US to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). Moscow accused Washington of “destructive and irresponsible behavior” that the document, signed more than a quarter of a century ago, would never enter into force. According to TASS, in recent months, Russian government agencies have already discussed the option of Russia withdrawing its ratification of this treaty in the name of full symmetry with the US, but no decisions have been made in this regard.

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2023-08-19 06:30:00
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