Nuclear Zero slogan sheer propaganda – Pushkov

Russian Nuclear Submarine file photo

MOSCOW. Feb 13 (Interfax) – The State Duma International Affairs Committee has branded the Global Zero idea as utopian.

“I view the Nuclear Zero as pure propaganda and a romantic idea,” Committee Chairman Alexei Pushkov told a Wednesday press conference at Interfax.

“It may help certain reduction of redundant nuclear stocks of the Americans and us,” he said.

“In my eyes the Nuclear Zero idea is sort of a replay of Khrushchev’s suggestion of universal and complete disarmament in 1961; in a way, Barack Obama is a successor of Nikita Khrushchev,” Pushkov said.

“Certainly, all of us realize that it is unattainable. It sounds beautiful and brings some political dividends. When the suggestion was made to the Chinese they smiled and said, “Yes, yes” but one realized that they actually meant to say “No, no.” They said, “Yes, yes, sure, sure but let the United States and Russia be the first,” he said.

“The countries, which have made colossal investments in nuclear arms, will not abandon them. There is one country to which nuclear armaments are absolutely critical; this is Israel. Israel will never discard the nuclear deterrence potential because it is surrounded by the potentially hostile Arab world. This is it. The Nuclear Zero ends in Israel before it even starts,” the parliamentarian said.

“Obama proposed a very attractive Nuclear Zero slogan, but it is as attractive as impossible,” Pushkov said.

Comment