Almost 90 percent of nuclear weapons are in the United States or Russia. The number of nuclear warheads in China is estimated to have increased, and the growth is expected to continue.
The number of ready-to-use nuclear weapons in the world has started to increase, according to the yearbook of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri).
Nine countries still possess nuclear weapons: the United States, Russia, Britain, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel. All of them have continued to modernize their weapons.
The United States and Russia share nearly 90 percent of all the world’s nuclear weapons. According to the report, their number seems to have remained fairly stable last year, although the related transparency has weakened in both cases due to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
It is estimated that the number of nuclear warheads in China has clearly increased, and the number is expected to continue to increase. The institute estimates that by the end of the decade, China may have at least as many intercontinental ballistic missiles as either the United States or Russia.
Having worked as a researcher in Sipri’s weapons of mass destruction program by Hans M. Kristensen according to China has started a significant expansion of its nuclear arsenal.
– It is increasingly difficult to reconcile this trend with the fact that China has announced its goal of keeping only the minimum number of nuclear weapons needed to ensure its national security, he stated in the press release.
“Nuclear diplomacy must be restored urgently”
In its report, the institute also draws attention to the fact that nuclear arms control and disarmament diplomacy have experienced serious setbacks since Russia’s attack on Ukraine began in February 2022.
– In this time of high geopolitical tensions and mistrust, when the communication channels of the nuclear-armed powers are either closed or work weakly, the risks of miscalculations, misunderstandings and damage are higher than can be accepted, said Sipri’s director Dan Smith.
He added that there is an urgent need to strengthen nuclear diplomacy and international nuclear arms control.
Sipri, founded in 1966, evaluates the state of armaments, disarmament and international security every year in its yearbook.