Russia will not use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, Polyansky said, pointing out that Moscow can resort to it only if the existence of the state is threatened or if weapons of mass destruction are used against it or its allies.
Photo: Justin Lane / EPA / TASS
The conditions for Moscow to use its nuclear arsenal do not apply to what is happening in Ukraine, declared Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia to the UN Dmitry Polyansky at a session of the UN Disarmament Commission.
According to him, a number of “irresponsible Western politicians and experts” spread “provocative insinuations” that claim that Russia could use nuclear weapons in Ukraine.
“These stuffings do not have the slightest rational basis, they are aimed at whipping up a degree of anti-Russian hysteria and are designed for a public that is not familiar with the basics of Russian security and defense policy, which is purely defensive in nature,” Polyansky argues.
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The diplomat pointed out that Russia can use nuclear weapons only under certain conditions – if nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction (WMD) are used against it or its allies, or if Russia’s very existence is threatened during aggression using conventional weapons. What is happening in Ukraine, the diplomat stressed, does not meet these conditions.