Russia remains "fully committed to the principle that nuclear war is unacceptable", believes that "there can be no winners in such a conflict and consequently it should never be unleashed". This was stated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in an interview quoted by the Tass agency.
"Any military confrontation between nuclear powers should be avoided because it risks turning into a nuclear confrontation, so the most important goal is for each power to exercise maximum restraint," Lavrov stressed.
However, added the Russian Foreign Minister, "the possession of nuclear weapons in the context of deterrence is today the only possible response to some significant external threats" to Russia's security, underlining that the "development of the situation around Ukraine confirms the validity of Moscow's concerns in this area».
«The state policy in the field of nuclear deterrence - assured Lavrov - is exclusively defensive and aimed at maintaining the potential of nuclear forces at the minimum level necessary for the guaranteed defense of sovereignty and territorial integrity, preventing aggression against Russia and its allies'.
(Unioneonline/L)