In a separate statement US President Joe Biden called on Russia and China to demonstrate their commitment to limiting nuclear arms. They said that Iran, currently in negotiations to limit its nuclear development, 'must never develop a nuclear weapon,' and called on North Korea to halt its nuclear-related tests and launches.

'The NPT has reduced the risk of a devastating nuclear war, and further reduction of that risk must be a priority for all NPT states parties and for this Review Conference,' the US-France-Britain statement said. It comes after the Russian president put Russia's nuclear arsenal on high alert in February, and state-TV pundits in Russia suggested using nuclear weapons against the United Kingdom. Nor is it a shield from geopolitical tensions boiling over into nuclear conflict,' Guterres said at the start of a conference of countries belonging to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

'We have been extraordinarily lucky so far. UN head Antonio Guterres warned on the same day that humanity was 'just one miscalculation away from nuclear annihilation,' with the world facing a threat 'not seen since the height of the Cold War.' 'We proceed from the fact that there can be no winners in a nuclear war and it should never be unleashed, and we stand for equal and indivisible security for all members of the world community.' 'As a state party to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and one of its depositaries, Russia is consistently complying with the letter and the spirit of the Treaty,' Putin said in a letter to participants of a conference on the treaty in New York. Vladimir Putin has said a nuclear war must 'never be started' following heightened tension between Moscow and NATO in light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. While five leading nuclear powers are among the 191 states party to the pact, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea are not. The call was issued as concerns are rising about the spread of nuclear technology, especially in Iran and North Korea, and China's rapid expansion of its nuclear arsenal. We condemn those who would use or threaten to use nuclear weapons for military coercion, intimidation, and blackmail,' they said.

'Nuclear weapons, for as long as they exist, should serve defensive purposes, deter aggression, and prevent war. 'Following Russia's unprovoked and unlawful war of aggression against Ukraine, we call on Russia to cease its irresponsible and dangerous nuclear rhetoric and behaviour, to uphold its international commitments,' said the United States, France and Britain in a statement. Meanwhile, the United States and its nuclear allies rebuked Russia on Monday for 'irresponsible and dangerous' talk about possibly deploying nuclear weapons as a review of the keystone nuclear treaty opened at the United Nations. In January, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council - the United States, China, Russia, Britain and France - had pledged to prevent the further dissemination of nuclear weapons.Īt the last review conference in 2015, the parties were unable to reach agreement on substantive issues.Īnd the threat of nuclear proliferation is only growing, with Iran reported to have enough uranium to build 'one, if not two' bombs, an ex-US diplomat and nuclear weapons expert Robert Joseph warned. All this at a time when the risks of proliferation are growing and guardrails to prevent escalation are weakening,' Guterres added. 'Almost 13,000 nuclear weapons are now being held in arsenals around the world. 'Eliminating nuclear weapons is the only guarantee they will never be used,' the secretary-general implored, adding that he would visit Hiroshima for the anniversary of the Augatomic bombing of the Japanese city by the United States. Guterres said the conference was 'a chance to strengthen' the treaty and 'make it fit for the worrying world around us,' citing Russia's war in Ukraine and tensions on the Korean peninsula and in the Middle East. The meeting, held at the UN's headquarters in New York, has been postponed several times since 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

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