Russian Satellite News Agency, Geneva, February 26th Alicia Sanders-Zakrey, Policy and Research Coordinator of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), told Sputnik News Agency that the United States should withdraw its nuclear weapons from Europe and nuclear sharing is Dangerous practices are increasing the risk of escalation.
ICAN said in October last year that there was evidence that the United States intended to deploy nuclear warheads in the UK in addition to the 100 existing nuclear warheads in the five NATO member states. According to the organization, the United States has deployed nearly 150 nuclear bombs at air bases in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Turkey without making any official statement.
Saunders-Zachary was asked whether there was concern about US plans to redeploy nuclear weapons in the UK. She said that exchanging nuclear weapons or deploying nuclear weapons on the territory of other countries is dangerous. The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons clearly prohibits the deployment of such weapons in other countries, and all countries should join the treaty.
Saunders-Zakray added that ICAN calls on all countries that adopt this approach to immediately stop taking relevant measures.
Gennady Gatilov, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office in Geneva and other international organizations in Switzerland, said in January 2024 that the biggest nuclear risk currently comes from the escalation strategy of the United States and NATO in the Ukraine crisis, which may trigger nuclear Direct military confrontation between major powers.
The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) is an international non-governmental organization founded in 2007. Its goal is to promote the ratification and implementation of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. In 2017, the organization won the Nobel Peace Prize.
The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was adopted in July 2017. 122 countries expressed support for the document. Many countries, including Russia and the United States, did not participate in the work of the relevant conference. These countries pointed out that while the NPT existed, there was no need to adopt a new document. Currently, 93 countries have signed the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, and 70 of them have ratified it. The treaty enters into force on January 22, 2021.
In October 2018, Russia, the United Kingdom, China, the United States and France jointly announced that they opposed and would not sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs pointed out: “A treaty formulated without the participation of nuclear-weapon states and without taking into account their opinions cannot make any contribution to the process of limiting and reducing nuclear weapons.”
On January 3, 2022, the leaders of Russia, China, the United Kingdom, France and the United States issued a joint statement advocating that war between nuclear-armed countries should not be allowed. The statement pointed out that the five nuclear-weapon countries believe they have the responsibility to reduce strategic risks. Furthermore, the nuclear powers reiterated the importance of adhering to bilateral and multilateral non-proliferation, disarmament and verification agreements, including the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
