Ex-US Defense Chief Says World Needs 'Coherent Russian State' To Avoid Nuclear Uncertainty

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd February, 2023) The world needs a stable and united Russian state to avoid uncertainty with the country's nuclear arsenal, former US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said during an interview.

"The last thing we need is Russia fragmenting and the fate of all of those nuclear weapons being uncertain. So, the last thing we should want is the fragmentation of Russia. We need a coherent Russian state and we need a strong government in Moscow to maintain control of all those weapons," Gates said on Wednesday.

Gates recalled that the United States put significant effort to maintain a strong central Russian government after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the interest of keeping control over tens of thousands of their nuclear weapons.

"(The) same thing holds true today," Gates said.

Gates served as US Defense Secretary under presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. He worked as CIA director and deputy national security advisor in the administration of President George H.W. Bush.