China, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States and France have agreed that a further spread of nuclear weapons and an atomic war must be prevented, according to a joint statement by the five nuclear powers released by the Kremlin on Monday.
The statement indicated that the five countries – permanent members of the United Nations Security Council– believe that their primary responsibility is to avoid a war between nuclear-capable states and reduce strategic risks, while aspiring to work with all countries to create an atmosphere of security.
“We declare that there can be no winners in a nuclear war, that it should never be started,” the Russian-language version of the statement said.
“As the use of nuclear weapons would have far-reaching consequences, we also confirm that -as long as they exist- they should have defensive purposes, deterring against aggression and preventing violence. war“he added.
France also made the statement public, underlining that the powers reiterated their determination in favor of atomic weapons control and disarmament. He also added that they could continue with bilateral and multilateral approaches to control the nuclear arsenal.
The statement was released amid rising geopolitical tensions between Moscow and Western nations over concerns about the concentration of Russian troops near neighboring Moscow. Ukraine. Moscow says it can move its soldiers within its own territory as it sees fit.
On Thursday, US President Joe Biden told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that an eventual move on Ukraine will lead to sanctions and an increased US presence in Europe.