The initiative to take Russia’s threat to use nuclear weapons to the General Assembly deserves consideration.
This was stated by a member of the House of Lords of the British Parliament, former Foreign Secretary of the UK David Owen in his comment to Guildhall.
"I want to express my full support for the policy over Ukraine being pursued by the British government. As for the suggestion to take Russia’s threats to use nuclear weapons to the UN General Assembly, I think it deserves serious consideration, and I am sure it is being given just that," Lord Owen said.
"Policy on all aspects of such a highly dangerous topic as the use or non-use of nuclear weapons is made by governments alone and in consultation in strict confidence with the governments of our NATO allies - France and the US. This applies to what is said publicly in the UN Security Council and in the UN General Assembly and in the tactics in relation to votes and exact wording of resolutions. That means self-discipline and was broadly accepted as such and followed by colleagues in the House of Commons and the House of Lords when I was Foreign Secretary in 1977-1979 dealing directly in Moscow with President Brezhnev and Foreign Minister Gromyko on nuclear policy," said the former Foreign Secretary of the UK.
On April 5, during an meeting with representatives of the diplomatic corps of the CIS countries, the Foreign Minister of Russia Sergei Lavrov commented on the use of nuclear weapons, without excluding such a possibility.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that the world should prepare for the aggressor's nuclear strike.
During live broadcast at the state-owned Russian TV channel "Russia 1" the propagandist Olga Skabeeva and Russian politician Alexey Zhuravlev commented on the possibility of reaching the capitals of UK, Germany and France, which supply Ukraine with weapons, with the intercontinental ballistic missile Sarmat.
Earlier, the proposition that UN General Assembly should immediately adopt a resolution stating that the use of nuclear weapons will be a declaration of war against humanity was suggested by the Head of the Center for Defense Reforms, coordinator of the interdepartmental platform for battling hybrid threats, which operates within the framework of Ukraine-NATO cooperation, Olexander V. Danylyuk. He also stated, that after Russia declared its intentions to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, the country should be expelled from the UN Security Council.
A number of world politicians have responded to Russia's threats to use nuclear weapons against Ukraine. Rasa Yuknjavicienė, Member of the European Parliament, former Lithuanian Defense Minister, said that if Russia uses nuclear weapons against Ukraine or any other European state, that strike should be considered a declaration of war on the whole world. Also, Lieutenant-General Rigo Terrace, ex-commander of the Estonian Defense Forces and Member of the European Parliament, stated that the UN General Assembly should adopt a resolution that Russia's use of nuclear weapons against Ukraine would be regarded as a declaration of war against humanity. Latvian MP Atis Leinysz supported the initiative to adopt a UN resolution that Russia's use of nuclear weapons against Ukraine will be regarded as a declaration of war against the mankind. Marko Mikhelson, Head of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Estonian Parliament, said that the very mentions on the use of nuclear weapons are a violation of the key principles on which the UN is based. According to him, there are a number of reasons why Russia should no longer maintain the membership in the UN.