SOCHI, October 21. /TASS/. Nuclear powers bear huge responsibility for nuclear weapons and a threat of complete mutual annihilation exists, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday.
"You spoke about nuclear weapons - this is the nuclear powers’ huge responsibility. And you said that it is senseless to talk about World War III in these conditions. But a threat of complete mutual annihilation exists. Let us not forget about that," the Russian president said at a session of the Valdai International Discussion Club, responding to a question about the threat of a third world war.
The Russian president was asked about whether Russia as a nuclear superpower and a country that had lived through severe wars should state more actively that protecting peace was its foreign policy goal. "We say a lot of positive and important things. But our partners prefer simply not to notice this. So, it is senseless to talk on that. It is necessary to achieve what we talk about. This is not an easy task. But we will work on it," Putin stressed.