A rare show of unity from the world's biggest nuclear powers came today when they said that they would never start a nuclear war, in a rare show of unity as tensions rise between the East and the West. The US, Russia, China, France, and the United Kingdom all have nuclear weapons.
Russia is thought to have the world's largest stockpile of nuclear warheads, with 6,255. The United States comes in second with 5,550, according to the Arms Control Association (ACA). China has 350, France has 290, and the UK has 225.
They also say that Pakistan has 165 nuclear weapons, India has 156, Israel has 90, and North Korea has 40-50. These countries are not part of the Nonproliferation Treaty, but they have nuclear weapons, the ACA says.
In 1945, the US bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki with nuclear weapons. There are thought to be 13,400 nuclear weapons still in use today, and there have been over 2,000 nuclear tests.
"A world without nuclear weapons" is now the goal of the top five nuclear countries, who have agreed to work together.
The statement also talked about how important it is to keep nuclear-weapon states from fighting, calling it a "foremost responsibility."
"A nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought," said the joint statement, which was issued simultaneously by the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom and France.
"As nuclear use would have far-reaching consequences, we also affirm that nuclear weapons -- for as long as they continue to exist -- should serve defensive purposes, deter aggression, and prevent war
US, UK, and European Union leaders are alarmed by Russia's buildup of troops near Ukraine's border. France is a major player in these groups.
Even though there's been a lot more Chinese military activity around the self-governed island of Taiwan, which has caused a lot of tension between China and the United States and the countries that the United States allies are.
Among the things they said: They called on all countries to make their security environments "more conducive to progress on disarmament, with the ultimate goal of ending nuclear weapons and creating a world without nuclear weapons that everyone can feel safe in."
The five agreed to follow the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) from 1970, which says that they must work in good faith to find "effective measures" to stop the nuclear arms race at an early date and to get rid of nuclear weapons.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Russia started the five-nation statement. It was meant to come out with a review of the Non-Proliferation Treaty that began in New York on Tuesday, January 4.
Zakharova told the official TASS news agency that the nuclear powers didn't want to delay the publication of this joint statement because it was important and could stand on its own.
Russian spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS that the statement "was agreed to through diplomatic channels." Peskov said the statement "reflects the positions of all parties and their leaders."
Fu Cong, the head of the Chinese Foreign Ministry's arms control department, said that China was still going to keep its policy of no first use and deterrence.
"Nuclear weapons are the best way to keep people away. Not for war. Because everyone in the P5 group agrees that nuclear war can't be won and must never be fought, they say this.
So, it's important to keep this in mind when we talk about the tension "F: There are a lot of tensions between Taiwan and China, said Fu when asked about them.
"When we have bad relations with the United States, this is true, too. This is something that we think could help ease tension and clear up some of the confusion "he said more.