CND Press Digest: Wednesday 22nd February 2023

War In Ukraine/NATO

• Vladimir Putin used a delayed state of the nation speech to announce that Russia was suspending its participation in the New START treaty. You can read CND’s comment on the announcement here.
• The Telegraph has an article on what Russia’s suspension from New START could mean.
• Reuters also has a fact sheet on Russia’s nuclear arsenal and information on its command and control system.
• The Times meanwhile notes that Putin also suggested that nuclear testing could resume if Washington did so.
• Paul Rogers writes on Russia’s nuclear threat and NATO nuclear strategy.
• Scottish CND will be among the peace groups to hold a vigil in Edinburgh on Friday, to mark the first anniversary of the war in Ukraine.

Trident

• The New Scientist on the story of superglue being used to fix broken bolts on a British nuclear submarine.
• Glasgow CND is to launch a Reclaim the Clyde campaign this spring, which hopes to make more people aware about the presence and dangers of British nuclear weapons being stationed in Scotland.  
• An article in Durham student newspaper The Palatinate asks is Britain’s role in NATO developing or diminished?

AUKUS/Indo-Pacific

• Australian PM Anthony Albanese said the AUKUS programme will mark the biggest leap in the country’s defense capability - with the US and UK also to benefit.
• Japan and China are holding their first security talks in four years - as part of efforts to cool tensions in the region.

UK Nuclear Energy

• The Week looks at Britain’s stuttering attempts to launch a new fleet of nuclear reactors and quotes a letter to The Guardian from CND’s Rae Street: “The government and the opposition have completely ignored all warnings; they go doggedly on, supporting the construction of the new nuclear reactor at Sizewell and considering plans to build others. But nuclear is not the answer to the UK’s energy requirements. Apart from anything else, it is vastly expensive. The money it swallows should be put into developing genuine sustainable energy: tidal, wind and solar.”
• Nuclear Free Local Authorities has interviews Los Alamos National Laboratory director Siegfried Hecker on the two decades of missed chances to deal with North Korea’s nuclear programme.