Nuclear Weapons: Arms Control

Joan Walley
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what reports he has received on the implications for UK defence policy of the recent statement by Russian Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, on the disarmament of nuclear weapons; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Bob Ainsworth
We believe in the vision of a world free from nuclear weapons. We are committed to working towards multilateral nuclear disarmament, and are encouraged that Russia also shares this commitment. We also welcome the fact that Russia and the US are currently engaged in negotiations over a successor to the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. As the Prime Minister announced on 17 March, we will soon be publishing further UK proposals in a “Roadmap to 2010”.