Nuclear security

UN's proposed nuclear weapons ban 'unrealistic,' US general tells Congress

The top U.S. general in Europe said Tuesday the United Nations’ proposed ban on nuclear weapons had serious problems, telling Congress that it was "just not realistic" amid ongoing threats from North Korea and Russia.

"My view is the nuclear weapons ban is just not realistic,” Army Gen. Curtis M. Scaparrotti, head of U.S. European Command and NATO supreme allied commander, told the House Armed Services Committee.

“It is occurring in a world where we have North Korea in particular who is in violation of U.N. sanctions and resolutions,” he added, mentioning that Russia is “also aggressively improving their modernization of their nuclear weapons.”