Major increase in the global stock of nuclear weapons

Stockholm: The number of nuclear weapons in the world declined after the end of the Cold War between the United States and Russia. But in the last few months, an alarming trend of increase in the global stock of nuclear weapons has started. Therefore, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) warned that new conflicts would be sparked around the globe. European countries are speaking the language of equipping Ukraine with nuclear weapons. The SIPRI report has been received in the middle of all these developments.

Currently, nine countries in the world are equipped with nuclear weapons. Of these, 90% of the nuclear weapons are with Russia (5,977) and the United States (5,428). Following them, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Israel, Pakistan and North Korea hold the remaining 10% of nuclear weapons. SIPRI reminded that Russia and the United States had reduced the nuclear arsenal under the START agreement after the Cold War.

But demand for a reduction in the nuclear weapons stock has been made for the last few decades. SIPRI warned that instead, there would be a significant increase in the nuclear weapons stock in the coming decades. At the beginning of this year, five permanent members of the UN Security Council, the United States, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom, announced limiting the nuclear weapons stock. But the SIPRI report says that these countries are either increasing or modernising their nuclear weapons stock.

SIPRI Director Dan Smith warned that the efforts to reduce the nuclear weapons stock were successful over the last few years, given the nuclear ban and nuclear disarmament. But for the first time since the end of the Cold War, the threat of use of nuclear weapons has become strong.’ SIPRI claimed that China, North Korea, India and Pakistan had increased the speed of producing and modernising nuclear weapons.

SIPRI claimed in its report that China is significantly increasing the capacity and stock of its nuclear arsenal. SIPRI pointed out that satellite photographs and reports of China having built underground airtight Silos for storing these nuclear weapons have been published. SIPRI expressed grave concerns over the nuclear weapons of North Korea and the dictatorial regime in that country.

Meanwhile, this SIPRI report has been prepared to study the developments before the start of the Russia-Ukraine war. But amid the announcements of the European countries to supply nuclear weapons to Ukraine, the SIPRI warning regarding the increase in the nuclear weapons stock has become significant.