'The number of nuclear weapons held by world powers declined in the past year, but future reductions look uncertain because of the "political and military differences" between Moscow and Washington, an influential research group says.
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), in its annual report issued on June 17, said that at the start of 2019, Russia, the United States, and seven other countries possessed 13,865 nuclear weapons.
That's a "marked decline" from the 14,465 estimated at the start of 2018, SIPRI said.
The decrease "is due mainly to Russia and the U.S. -- which together still account for over 90 percent of all nuclear weapons -- further reducing their strategic nuclear forces" through implementation of the so-called New START treaty, while also making unilateral reductions.
However, it said, New START will expire in 2021 unless both parties agree to extend it.'
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Global Nuclear Arsenal Declines, But Future Cuts Uncertain Amid U.S.-Russia Tensions, June 17, 2019
Context'Nuclear Crisis Group .. preventing .. the use of nuclear weapons.''..once Bush came in..' The Risk of Nuclear War with North Korea - nuclear holocaust