Lukashenko called for global nuclear disarmament

On June 15, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko called for nuclear disarmament worldwide during an interview with Al Arabiya TV channel.

"I am in favor of nuclear disarmament. And this should apply to everyone.: and Russia, and the USA, and China, and Israel, India, Pakistan, and other countries. This should concern everyone," the BelTA news agency quoted him as saying.

The Belarusian leader noted that nuclear weapons are considered a deterrent today, but sooner or later a nuclear conflict may arise that will lead to the destruction of the planet. Lukashenko stressed that he is not in favor of the countries of the world having nuclear weapons.

Nuclear gambit: NPT participants gather at a conference in New York

The meeting may end without a final document for the third time in a row.

U.S. State Department spokesman Thomas Pigott said on May 24 that the United States remains committed to the Treaty on the Non—Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and its three pillars - disarmament, non-proliferation and the peaceful use of the atom.

Andrei Belousov, Ambassador-at-Large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and head of the Russian delegation to the NPT Review Conference, said on May 5 that relations between the nuclear-weapon states are currently in a depressing state. Belousov added that concerns about the aggravation of strategic risks and an increase in the level of nuclear danger are "well-founded."