Russia, China, UK, US And France Agree No One Can Win A Nuclear War

Nuclear illustration. (Unsplash/Dan Meyers)

JAKARTA - China, Russia, Britain, the United States and France have agreed that the further deployment of nuclear weapons and nuclear war should be avoided, according to a joint statement by the five nuclear powers published by the Kremlin on Monday.

It said the five countries that are permanent members of the United Nations (UN) Security Council consider their main responsibility to avoid war between nuclear states and to reduce strategic risks, while aiming to work with all countries to create a security atmosphere.

"We affirm that nuclear war is unwinnable and must not be fought," reads the statement in the English version, citing Reuters January 4

"Because nuclear use would have far-reaching consequences, we also affirm that nuclear weapons, as long as they continue to exist, must serve defensive purposes, deter aggression and prevent war," the statement continued.

France also released the statement, underlining the five powers reaffirmed their resolve to nuclear arms control and disarmament. They will continue bilateral and multilateral approaches to nuclear weapons control, he said.

The statement from the so-called P5 group comes as bilateral relations between the United States and Moscow have fallen to their lowest point since the end of the Cold War, while relations between Washington and Beijing are also at a low due to various disagreements.

The Pentagon in November sharply increased its forecast of China's projected nuclear weapons arsenal over the next few years, saying Beijing could have 700 warheads by 2027 and possibly 1,000 by 2030.

Washington has repeatedly urged China to join it and Russia in a new arms control treaty (New Start).

Meanwhile, geopolitical tensions between Moscow and Western countries have escalated, due to concerns about Russia's military build-up near neighboring Ukraine. Moscow says it can move its troops around its own territory if it deems necessary.

Last Thursday, US President Joe Biden told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin it was likely the move in Ukraine would attract sanctions and increase the US presence in Europe, where tensions are high after Russia's military buildup at the border.

To note, US and Russian officials will hold security talks on January 10 to discuss concerns about each other's military activities and dealing with rising tensions in Ukraine, the two countries said.

Meanwhile, a conference on a major nuclear agreement that was due to start on Tuesday at the United Nations (UN), has been postponed to August due to the COVID-19 pandemic.