Russia’s Lavrov Gives a Frank and Open Discussion of the Danger of Nuclear Confrontation

Dec. 1, 2022 (EIRNS)—A nuclear confrontation is a clear and present danger, and much on the mind of Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Yesterday, speaking at an education program called “Dialogue in the Name of the Future,” Lavrov pointed out that it was not that long ago when the United States and Russia, along with other permanent members of the UN Security Council, reaffirmed their commitment that there could be no winners in a nuclear war, and that it should never be unleashed. However, he went further:

“Russia’s position goes further than that: in addition to recognizing such a war as unacceptable, it is important to avoid military clashes between nuclear powers, even with the use of conventional weapons. Escalation can easily spiral out of control. Our Western colleagues are trying to ignore this part of the formula. This speaks volumes about their true motives, including in the context of their policy on Ukraine, which they are literally pushing to continue a war that is being waged by the West against the Russian Federation.”

At today’s press conference on European security issues (in Russian), Lavrov returned to the theme in response to a media question. He was asked “Russia and the United States achieved the main arms reduction goals under START-3 in 2018. Five years have passed—isn't it time for more ambitious steps to reduce strategic offensive weapons?”

Lavrov included his reply:

“In 2021, COVID-19 did not prevent us from having two quite useful meetings. But after September, the Americans showed no desire to continue. This was long before the start of a special military operation. It is difficult to judge what was the reason.

“Probably, the responsibility of Russia and the United States as the two largest ... nuclear powers does not disappear anywhere. There is a joint statement by the Presidents in June 2021 that a nuclear war cannot be won by anyone, therefore it cannot be unleashed. There is a corresponding similar statement by the leaders of the five nuclear states [on Jan. 3, 2022]. I’ve said more than once, we were ready to go further and to say that not only is it impossible to unleash a nuclear war, but any war between nuclear powers is unacceptable. Even if someone decides to start it by conventional means, there will be a huge risk of escalating into a nuclear war.

“Therefore, we are watching with concern the rhetoric spouted by the West accusing Russia of preparing some kind of provocation using weapons of mass destruction. At the same time, the West itself, including the three nuclear powers—the United States, Great Britain and France—is doing everything to increase its almost direct participation in the war waged by Ukrainians against Russia. This is a dangerous trend,”

he concluded.

Such deafness on a vital matter that Russia has been very explicit and clear about, on top of the West’s refusal to cooperate on steps to lower a strategic confrontation, adds up to an action to provoke the actual use of weapons of mass destruction.