'Some of the text of the statement, including the pledges to work toward a world free of nuclear weapons, echoes a statement issued by the five nations after a December conference in Paris that laid the groundwork for the since delayed review of the treaty.
And the statement that a nuclear war cannot be won was identical to language that the US and Russian Presidents, Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin, used after their June summit in Switzerland.
It was also the same language used by then-US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev after their 1985 summit in Geneva.''
Hong Kong (CNN) - Five of the world's largest nuclear powers pledged on Monday to work together toward "a world without nuclear weapons" in a rare statement of unity amid rising East-West tensions.
"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."
The statement also stressed the importance of preventing conflict between nuclear-weapon states from escalating, describing it as a "foremost responsibility."
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The statement released by the five powers, also known as the P5, as permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, called on all states to create a security environment "more conducive to progress on disarmament with the ultimate goal of a world without nuclear weapons with undiminished security for all."
The five pledged to adhere to the 1970 Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) which obligates them "to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament."
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Monday the five-nation statement was initiated by Moscow with the intention of it being released in coordination with a review of the NPT that was to begin on Tuesday in New York but has been pushed by the coronavirus epidemic in the US.
"Given the importance and self-sufficiency of this joint statement, the nuclear powers decided not to delay its publication," Zakharova said, according to the official TASS news agency.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS the statement "was negotiated through diplomatic channels" and "comprehensively reflects the positions of the parties and the leaders."
Some of the text of the statement, including the pledges to work toward a world free of nuclear weapons, echoes a statement issued by the five nations after a December conference in Paris that laid the groundwork for the since delayed review of the treaty.
And the statement that a nuclear war cannot be won was identical to language that the US and Russian Presidents, Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin, used after their June summit in Switzerland.
It was also the same language used by then-US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev after their 1985 summit in Geneva.
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China, US, UK, France and Russia pledge to avoid nuclear war, January 4, 2022
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