A rare joint statement between United States, Britain, France, Russia and China has seen the five countries commit to a ban on nuclear warfare.
A joint statement between the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council – United States, Britain, France, Russia and China has seen the five nuclear-weapon states commit to the prevention of nuclear war.
The historic announcement was shared by the five states, and declared that “a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought”.
The release saw the countries commit to the avoidance of atomic warfare and dubbed the “reduction of strategic risks” as one of their foremost responsibilities. The statement also said the further spread of nuclear weapons must be prevented.
Instead the joint statement said the purpose of nuclear weapons should be for “defensive purposes” and to “deter aggression, and prevent war”.
“We underline our desire to work with all states to create a security environment more conducive to progress on disarmament with the ultimate goal of a world without nuclear weapons with undiminished security for all,” it read.
“We intend to continue seeking bilateral and multilateral diplomatic approaches to avoid military confrontations, strengthen stability and predictability, increase mutual understanding and confidence, and prevent an arms race that would benefit none and endanger all.”
So far, the joint release has been shared via the social media accounts of the signatory countries, including state-owned Chinese Twitter accounts. Sharing the post, the official Twitter account of the Permanent Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the United Nations said the statement reflected the “political will of the Five Nuclear-Weapon States to avoid nuclear war”.
According to the Arms Control Association, Russia possesses the highest number of nuclear warheads globally with 6255 warheads. This is followed by the United States with 5550, China (350), France (290 warheads) and the UK (225 warheads). Pakistan, India, Israel and North Korea also posess nuclear warhead inventories. It’s believed Iran, Syria and Libya have also secretly pursued acquiring nuclear arsenals.
To date, the only use of nuclear weaponry was when America bombed the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. It’s estimated the two blasts killed more than 74,000 people in Nagasaki and 140,000 in Hiroshima, with survivors subjected to radiation-induced illnesses like leukaemia and cancer of the thyroid, breast and lung.
Originally published as Global superpowers make vow against nuclear warfare in historic agreement
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