US, China, Russia, France, and UK Five Major Powers Issue Joint Statement to Prevent Nuclear War (Comprehensive)

"Nuclear War Cannot Be Won by Anyone" Emphasized
Expectations for Tension Easing Ahead of US-Russia Talks on the 10th

[Image source=U.S. Department of Defense website]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The leaders of the five nuclear-armed powers?the United States, China, Russia, the United Kingdom, and France?have issued a joint statement on preventing nuclear war and banning arms races. With security talks between the U.S. and Russia on the Ukraine border dispute imminent, this joint statement is expected to help ease tensions.

On the 3rd (local time), the White House announced in a statement that "U.S. President Joe Biden, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and French President Emmanuel Macron have issued a joint statement on preventing nuclear war and banning arms races," adding that "the leaders prioritized preventing war among nuclear-armed states and reducing strategic risks in the joint statement."

The five leaders emphasized in the joint statement that "nuclear war must never occur, and no one can win," and stated, "Because the use of nuclear weapons has widespread effects, they must exist solely for strictly defensive purposes to deter aggression and prevent war. The proliferation of nuclear weapons must be stopped."

The joint statement was originally scheduled to be announced at the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference in New York on the 4th, but the meeting was postponed due to COVID-19, leading to the statement's release on this day. All five countries issuing the joint statement are recognized nuclear-weapon states under the NPT and permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (P5). Through this joint statement, they agreed to pursue early cessation of nuclear arms races and negotiations on nuclear disarmament.

Some observers note that the fact that Russia and China, which are confronting the West including the U.S. and NATO, have voiced a unified stance with Western countries through this joint statement suggests that the announcement may contribute to easing tensions and fostering a dialogue atmosphere.

In particular, Russia, which is at odds with the West over the Ukraine issue, emphasized that it actively proposed this joint statement. According to Russia's TASS news agency, Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, stated at a press conference following the release of the joint statement, "This statement was prepared through Russia's proposal and the active participation of Russian representatives."

Meanwhile, Western countries and Russia will begin diplomatic contacts to resolve the Ukraine border dispute, starting with the first working-level talks on the security guarantees proposed by Russia in Geneva, Switzerland, on the 10th. This will be followed by NATO-Russia Council (NRC) talks on the 12th and Russia-European Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) negotiations on the 13th.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.