the government of Russia said on Wednesday the 2nd that its priority for the moment is to avoid a nuclear confrontation between the world’s major powers, but accused the West of “encouraging provocations with weapons of mass destruction”.
Western leaders have consistently said Moscow has been behind an escalation in nuclear rhetoric since the country invaded Ukraine on February 24 to justify an eventual attack. More recently, the Kremlin accused Kyiv of using a “dirty bomb” containing radioactive remnants in the conflict without providing any evidence.
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In response, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said it fears that professed nuclear powers are “on the brink of direct armed conflict” and that the West must stop “promoting provocations with weapons of mass destruction that could have catastrophic results.”
“We firmly believe that in the current complicated and turbulent situation, caused by irresponsible and outrageous actions aimed at undermining our national security, the most immediate task is to avoid any military confrontation between the nuclear powers,” the ministry said in a statement.
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The Kremlin said it supports the joint statement made in January with the United States, China, the United Kingdom and France, which reaffirmed their shared responsibility to prevent nuclear war.
“We unreservedly reaffirm our commitment to the joint declaration by the leaders of the five nuclearweapon states to prevent nuclear war and prevent an arms race, effective January 3, 2022.”
Despite affirming the peaceful narrative, Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly raised the issue in recent months, and Moscow has repeatedly stated that its military laws allow the use of nuclear weapons to ensure Russia’s territorial integrity in the event of a threat of attack.
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In September, Putin even claimed he was not bluffing when he said he could use “any means available” to defend his country. According to him, the United States set a “precedent” for this at the end of World War II when it dropped two atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, which was the only nuclear attack in history.
The Kremlin has often accused Ukraine of attempting to acquire nuclear weapons, citing as justification for the war the fact that NATO intended to use Ukrainian territory as a bridge to threaten Russia, accusations made by the alliance and Kyiv were denied.
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