Report: Putin says ready to abandon nuclear weapons if other nuclear powers do the same

October 1st, 2009 US, Iran meet directly at nuclear talks in GenevaGENTHOD, Switzerland — A senior U.S. official has met Iran's top atomic negotiator for face-to-face talks — the first such encounter in years of big-power attempts to persuade Tehran to freeze a program that could create nuclear weapons.

September 22nd, 2009 Iran says it is open to nuclear weapons discussionNEW YORK — Iran's leader is telling The Associated Press that he expects open discussion of nuclear issues at a planned meeting with officials from the U.S. and five other powers.

September 7th, 2009 TEHRAN, Iran — President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says Iran is ready to hold talks with the world powers over global challenges including its nuclear program. Ahmadinejad said Monday Iran will initially present its package of proposals to the five permanent members of the U.N.

September 1st, 2009 Official: Iran is ready for nuclear talksTEHRAN, Iran — Iran's state TV is quoting the country's top nuclear negotiator as saying Tehran is ready to cooperate with world powers to ease fears over its nuclear program and has prepared a revised package of proposals to present to Western countries. The U.S. has given Iran a deadline at the end of September to take up an offer of nuclear talks with six world powers and enjoy trade incentives should it suspend uranium enrichment activities.

July 27th, 2009 Obama: US, China to work on halting nuclear spreadWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama says the U.S. and China have a shared interest in halting the spread of nuclear weapons.

July 9th, 2009 UK PM to set out plan for nuclear talksL'AQUILA, Italy — British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Thursday he will soon propose sweeping changes to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty that would require states suspected of seeking to build nuclear weapons to prove that they are not. The current language requires those seeking sanctions under the treaty to prove that suspect countries such as Iran are trying to make nuclear arms.

July 6th, 2009 Medvedev: We must cooperate against nuclear spreadMOSCOW — President Dmitry Medvedev says Russia and the U.S. must work closely together to stop the spread of nuclear weapons in volatile regions including the Middle East.

June 10th, 2009 Putin: Russia might abandon nukes if others doMOSCOW — Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Russia is willing to abandon nuclear weapons, if the United States and all other countries that have them do the same. "If those who made the atomic bomb and used it are ready to abandon it — like, I hope, other nuclear powers officially and unofficially owning them — of course we will welcome and facilitate this process in all ways," Putin said, according to state-owned RIA Novosti news agency.

April 20th, 2009 TOKYO - Japan will never possess nuclear weapons, a top government official said Monday, dismissing recent suggestions by former finance minister Shoichi Nakagawa to acquire nuclear weapons. 'There is no doubt that we will continue firmly maintaining our policy of (upholding) the three non-nuclear principles' of not producing, possessing or allowing nuclear weapons in Japan, Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura told a news conference here.

April 20th, 2009 TOKYO - Japan will never possess nuclear weapons, a top government official said Monday, dismissing recent suggestions by former finance minister Shoichi Nakagawa to acquire nuclear weapons. 'There is no doubt that we will continue firmly maintaining our policy of (upholding) the three non-nuclear principles' of not producing, possessing or allowing nuclear weapons in Japan, Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura told a news conference here.

April 20th, 2009 TOKYO - Japan will never possess nuclear weapons, a top government official said Monday, dismissing recent suggestions by former finance minister Shoichi Nakagawa to acquire nuclear weapons. 'There is no doubt that we will continue firmly maintaining our policy of (upholding) the three non-nuclear principles' of not producing, possessing or allowing nuclear weapons in Japan, Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura told a news conference here.

April 9th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Welcoming US' pledge to cut its nuclear arsenals, Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev has said Iran too has full rights to the peaceful uses of atomic energy. Nazarbayev welcomed the statement by US President Barack Obama seeking a world without nuclear weapons and that Washington was ready for a dialogue with Iran based on mutual interests and mutual respect, according to a statement by the Kazakh embassy here Thursday.

April 9th, 2009 TEHRAN - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Thursday said he was ready to join nuclear talks with the West, including the US, but insisted Iran's nuclear rights be respected. 'We are ready to hold (nuclear) talks with the West, but these talks should be based on the principle of justice and equality and respect of Iran's (nuclear) rights,' Ahmadinejad said in a speech at the Isfahan nuclear plant in central Iran.

March 11th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Iran is keeping open the option to develop nuclear weapons, the US director of national intelligence said Tuesday. In testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Dennis Blair said: 'Although we do not know whether Iran currently intends to develop nuclear weapons, we assess Tehran at a minimum is keeping open the option to develop them.' 'Iran does not currently have a nuclear weapon' because it lacks weapons-grade highly enriched uranium, but it could obtain enough as early as 2010, Blair said.

February 6th, 2009 MUNICH - India is willing to negotiate a nuclear weapons convention leading to global non-discriminatory and verifiable elimination of nuclear weapons, National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan has said here.