MOSCOW, November 17. /TASS/. Allegations about Moscow’s readiness to start a nuclear war are absolutely ludicrous as Russia does not take its nuclear capabilities lightly, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
"Unfortunately, we are increasingly hearing such irresponsible nuclear rhetoric and absolutely ludicrous accusations that Russia is allegedly starting a nuclear war. I believe that this is just plain lunacy and completely unacceptable," he said in an interview with the MGIMO 360 student news outlet, when asked to comment on the panic triggered by talk of nuclear war.
"Being a very large, powerful and strong country, Russia is extremely responsible in its approach to what it possesses. You know, with great power comes great responsibility; thus a strong nation is very careful about how it uses its power. However, unfortunately, some seek to use even this kind of rhetoric as a tool in quasi-wars against us," Peskov explained.
According to him, from an emotional perspective, all this can cause inner discomfort and hysteria to ordinary people who don't get all the nuances of political and international affairs. "However, this is where we all - including you, if you understand all the nuances - must work together to explain that oftentimes, these are nothing but groundless allegations and irresponsible remarks," Peskov said, addressing his interviewer.
MGIMO 360 is a student information channel hosted by the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Moscow State Institute of International Relations (university). The outlet covers youth activities at MGIMO and beyond, creates entertainment content on various topics and publishes interviews. Since May 2021, its correspondents have been covering Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s working visits as part of the Foreign Ministry's pool of journalists.