ČTK

Former Ambassadors Applaud New USA Nuclear Doctrine

Prague, Feb 3 (CTK) – The new U.S. nuclear doctrine released on Friday reflects the reality and NATO allies should welcome it, Petr Kolar, former Czech ambassador to the USA and to Russia, told CTK today, while former ambassador Alexandr Vondra called the doctrine a good reaction to the world developments.

 

“The USA is showing its muscles and strength at last,” Vondra, who was the Czech ambassador to Washington in 1997-2001, told CTK.

 

He said this is important, if the USA’s allies in Europe and Asia are to further rely on the U.S. security guarantees.

 

“We do not live in an ideal world, and the threats to which the new U.S. nuclear doctrine reacts are real. Russia, China, North Korea and Iran jeopardise not only the USA and their respective neighbours but mainly our whole western liberal democratic civilisation,” said Kolar, the ambassador to the USA in 2005-2010.

 

He said prevention is always better than making up for the harm inflicted, and that peace is possible amid the preparedness for a war as one of preconditions.

 

“After studying the Russian military doctrine, it is evident that the USA and NATO, including our country, are perceived by Putin’s Russia as its main enemy,” Kolar said.

 

He said Russia steps up armament and its military capacities.

 

China’s activities in the South China Sea cannot leave anyone in doubts either. As far as North Korea and Iran are concerned, no comments are perhaps necessary at all, Kolar said.

 

The doctrine presented by President Donald Trump is tougher towards Russia, compared with that of his predecessor Barack Obama. One of its goals is to deter Russia from threatening if though with a limited nuclear attack on Europe.

 

The new doctrine breaks with Obama’s vision of a gradual lowering of nuclear weapons’ role in the U.S. defence policy.

 

Like Obama, however, the Trump Administration says it would consider using nuclear weapons only in extreme circumstances, without specifying such situations, however.