Please find our daily press round up below. Thank you to all for their continued help and support.

War in Ukraine

• Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has warned that if World War Three were to break out, it would involve the destructive use of nuclear weapons, according to the RIA news agency. Speaking on Wednesday, Lavrov said Russia would face a real danger if Kiev acquired nuclear weapons.

• A Foreign Policy column reports on European citizen’s reaction to the threat of nuclear war as a result of an escalating conflict in Ukraine. It notes: ”As Putin unflinchingly wields Russia’s nuclear threat, the Europeans that Foreign Policy spoke with were not in favor of their military alliance doing the same….Experts believe Russia is aware of Europe’s aversion to armed conflict in general and disdain toward the use of nuclear weapons in particular. They say Russia’s threat accomplished its goal of scaring Europeans. Russia’s nuclear might is the biggest reason the United States and its European allies have ruled out deploying boots on the ground.”

• France 24 looks at Russia’s nuclear stockpile and the shadowy process behind its nuclear doctrine. It notes the recent issue of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, who claim that Putin may already have changed these published procedures. “You stop for one second and you start falling behind immediately,” the Bulletin said, quoting a Putin mantra.

• The Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation has a look at the ‘Nuclear Issues in the Ukraine Conflict,’ which includes the chances of nuclear conflict and Putin’s threat of nuclear war. It also looks at the question of Ukraine abandoning its nuclear stockpile and whether keeping nuclear weapons would have prevented the invasion. “Ukraine did not have the ability to use the weapons nor the facilities to store and maintain them, but, given enough time, Ukraine likely could have reverse engineered the weapons, although at great expense,” it said. Also noted was the deep economic and diplomatic price Kiev would have paid if it had decided to pursue a nuclear arsenal.

Iran Nuclear Deal

• Reuters notes a comment from Iran’s foreign ministry urging the US to make a decision on reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. In a tweet on Tuesday, spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh said “Iran is willing but will not wait forever.” Washington had previously warned that any intransigence from Tehran could scupper a new agreement.

• The Washington Post looks at the Iranian negotiations in Vienna against the backdrop of global tensions over the Russian invasion of Ukraine. A deadline on a new deal is supposedly due for Tuesday, after news of a breakthrough last week saw talks extended into March. However the Post reports that Tehran returned over the weekend with hardened demands. Experts say that this may be a last minute brinkmanship effort due to thinking by Iran that rising oil prices as a result of the war in Ukraine may make Western nations more amenable to further concessions.

North Korea

• The United States and ten other countries jointly condemned a ballistic missile launch believed to have been undertaken by North Korea on Sunday. Pyongyang has not confirmed the launch but did say on state media that it tested cameras for a space reconnaissance satellite. In a joint letter, the 11 nations called on all UN member nations to adopt all Security Council resolutions which include implementing UN sanctions and calling for North Korea to abandon both its pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programmes.

Nuclear Proliferation

• The Guardian is among the outlets to pick up on former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s call for the country to reopen its nuclear debate. The piece looks at the “rattled” reaction by China. Quoting a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson: “Japanese politicians have frequently spread fallacies related to Taiwan and even blatantly made false remarks that violate the nation’s three non-nuclear principles.” Abe, who oversaw record Japanese defence spending while in power, said the country should no longer consider nuclear weapons “a taboo” and a discussion should be had on hosting US nuclear weapons in the country.  

UK Nuclear Energy

• The Welsh government has appointed the former Chief Operating Officer for Horizon Nuclear Power, Alan Raymant, as the new CEO of its state-owned nuclear company, Cwmni Egino. Founded in 2000, the company is tasked with exploring the possibility of building a new nuclear reactor in Trawsfynydd. The site previously hosted a Magnox nuclear power station that was decommissioned in 1991.

• The Eastern daily Press reports how the Sizewell C nuclear site has teamed up with local charities and job centres in Norfolk and Sussex as part of a recruitment drive. An online portal, Sizewell C Job Service, is seeking to hire people for construction roles and apprenticeships. 

With best wishes,

Pádraig McCarrick

Press and Communications Officer
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament