Five countries with an arsenal of nuclear weapons have released a UN statement saying «a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought», British news portal The Guardian reports.
The statement was signed by the US, Russia, China, the UK and France, the five nuclear weapons states recognised by the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) who are also the five permanent members of the UN security council.
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The common stance came as a surprise in a time of increasing friction between Russia, China and the west. With Moscow accused of plans to invade Ukraine and China signalling its readiness to use military force against Taiwan, the joint statement represents a renewed commitment to prevent any confrontation turning into a nuclear catastrophe.
The NPT was a deal between states without nuclear weapons, who pledged not to acquire them, and the five nuclear-armed states, which promised to disarm. The review conference, originally planned for 2020, was expected to be contentious as a result of the stalling of momentum towards disarmament and the moves made by the five weapons states to modernise their arsenals, The Guardian reports.
Nuclear-armed major powers commit not to fight with nuclear weapons
