Russia’s Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has stated that while Moscow sees talks on nuclear threat reduction as vital, any discussions by world powers should be broader in scope given the current state of affairs with regard to the Ukraine conflict. The US has signaled it is open to dialogue with Russia, China, and North Korea on nuclear security issues. However, Peskov emphasized that all security issues must be considered as a whole, taking into account the current state of affairs.
US President Joe Biden called on global powers to continue taking steps to make the world safer by ridding it of nuclear weapons. He stated that reducing the nuclear threat is important precisely because of the dangers in today’s world. The New York Times reported in August that Biden had approved a US nuclear strategy to prepare for potential coordinated nuclear confrontations with Russia, China, and North Korea. This came as no response to any particular country or threat.
Moscow has always maintained that it has no desire to use nuclear weapons, but Russian officials have warned that increasing Western involvement in the Ukraine conflict could lead to a direct confrontation. Last month, President Vladimir Putin announced plans to make critical changes to Russia’s nuclear doctrine, which would allow the Russian leadership to treat an attack by a non-nuclear nation backed by a nuclear nation as a joint threat when deciding whether to retaliate with nuclear weapons.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned last week that the world is facing the growing threat of nuclear war due to the West’s “destructive policy.” She reiterated Moscow’s calls for considering the potential “catastrophic consequences” of these actions.