Zakharova commented on Truss’s statement about readiness to use nuclear weapons

Statement by British Foreign Secretary, Prime Minister candidate Liz Truss on the use of nuclear weapons deserves a new series of spy comedy “Austin Powers”, wrote Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova in her Telegram channel.

“This is a perfect start to the new Austin Powers series. Now the role of the “man of mystery of international scale” is played by a woman,” Zakharova said.

Earlier, Truss, at a meeting with members of the Conservative Party in Birmingham, said that the use of nuclear weapons if necessary is “the duty of the Prime Minister” and noted that she was ready to do so. Thus, the British Prime Minister candidate answered the presenter’s question about how she would feel if nuclear weapons were used.

UN Secretary General António Guterres has repeatedly stated the risk of unleashing a nuclear war. According to him, now the danger has reached unprecedented proportions since the height of the Cold War. He noted that humanity is only “one miscalculation” from a nuclear conflict. The UN Secretary General also called for the elimination of nuclear weapons.

The Russian Foreign Ministry, on the other hand, stated that the risks of a nuclear war are “very significant”, but the countries of the “nuclear five” adhere to the position that the use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible. However, in August, Deputy Head of the Russian delegation Andrei Belousov at the review conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons admittedthat in the future, NATO countries may use nuclear weapons under the pretext of “threats to their own vital interests or those of their allies.”

At the same time, the Russian authorities have repeatedly said that the policy of Western countries could turn into a clash of nuclear powers. In August, the Russian embassy in the United States declaredthat US actions increase nuclear risks. And Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov notedthat NATO countries are ignoring Russia’s “red lines”, which, according to him, “is fraught with further escalation up to a military clash of nuclear powers.”

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