What is known about the nuclear arsenals of the different nuclear powers and the consequences of their use?

During the war in Ukraine, much has been said about the possible use of nuclear weapons. Russia has done this several times, associating it with an escalation of the war where NATO forces are directly involved, and the country's survival is in danger. The US and NATO have also mentioned nuclear weapons but have done so to highlight the consequences for Russia and other countries of using such weapons.

According to a study by Princeton University, the first wave of nuclear warheads in a war between Russia and the US would kill some 2.6 million people in three hours. Europe would be destroyed in the first hours. A second exchange of nuclear warheads would result in 3.4 million people being killed and/or injured in just 45 minutes. In a third exchange of nuclear warheads with attacks on only 30 cities and economic centers, 85 million people would be killed and/or injured in less than 45 minutes. In total, it is estimated that there would be 34 million deaths and 57 million wounded, many of whom would later die. Some experts say that a nuclear conflict of this magnitude is not likely to happen, but it is impossible to rule it out.

As is apparent from this study, nuclear weapons are the most dangerous weapons on Earth. A single one can destroy an entire city, potentially killing tens of millions of people and endangering the natural environment and the lives of future generations due to its catastrophic long-term effects. Unfortunately, nuclear weapons have been used twice in the same war. Due to the horrors of their use, they have not been used again. But the world has at least once been very close to using them again. Dialogue and diplomacy prevented a nuclear catastrophe at that time. The war in Ukraine has lasted a long time. It has caused many deaths and injuries, and destruction of the country. It is time to give the search for a negotiated solution to the conflict a chance. Thinking of a traditional military victory seems impossible to achieve.

Despite all the attempts made by the United Nations and the vast majority of the international community today, according to various sources and reports, some 12,700 nuclear weapons remain in possession of nine states. More than 2,000 nuclear tests have been carried out until today, leaving high contamination in some regions where these tests were carried out.

As a step toward abolishing nuclear weapons, five NWFZs have been established at the regional level to strengthen global norms on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament and consolidate international efforts for peace and security. These treaties cover the regions of Latin America and the Caribbean, the South Pacific, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Central Asia. Until now, in the North American, Indo-Pacific, Middle East, and European regions, it has been impossible to establish these zones because of the nine countries with nuclear weapons that refuse to destroy them. These countries are the USA, Russia, China, France, United Kingdom, India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel; the only one of this group that owns nuclear weapons but neither confirms nor denies that it has them. All nuclear powers argue that keeping nuclear weapons in their possession ensures their security and deters potential aggressors. Stated this way, it would seem that other countries do not have that right, and we already know what happens when they refuse to satisfy the interests of other powers.

Notwithstanding this, it must be recognized that Russia and the US have signed agreements to destroy tens of thousands of nuclear warheads.

The United Nations, since its inception, has sought to eliminate nuclear weapons but so far with very limited success. Only four countries, South Africa, Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan, have been the only ones that have destroyed the nuclear weapons in their possession or returned them to Russia as heirs to the former USSR.

Since then, a series of multilateral treaties have been established to prevent nuclear proliferation and testing while promoting progress in nuclear disarmament. Among them, it is worth mentioning:

·????????The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT);

·????????The Treaty on the Partial Ban of Nuclear Tests (TPB);

·????????The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTB), which was signed in 1996 but has not yet entered into force;

·????????The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPAN).

The TPAN is the first globally applicable multilateral agreement that fully prohibits nuclear weapons. For this reason, it is rejected by all nuclear powers, recognized or not as such by the international community. The adoption, in 2017, of the TPAN represents one more step on the path that should lead to the definitive prohibition of nuclear weapons without exception.

These are the nine countries with nuclear weapons:

? Russia—5,977 nuclear warheads (1,588 are deployed strategic warheads).

? United States—5,428 nuclear weapons (1,644 are deployed strategic nuclear weapons, and 100 are deployed non-strategic warheads).

? China — 350 nuclear weapons with approximately 90 nuclear-capable ICBMs.

? France — 290 nuclear warheads that can be launched from planes and submarines.

? Russia — 1,444 warheads deployed on 527 ICBMs, submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), and warheads targeting heavy bombers. If warheads not deployed, stored, or awaiting decommissioning are also counted, the total arsenal will come to 6,370 weapons.

? The United Kingdom — Approximately 225 strategic warheads launched from submarines alone.

? Pakistan—165 nuclear weapons.

? India — Between 140 and 160 nuclear weapons

? Israel—90 nuclear weapons.

? North Korea—20 nuclear weapons.

The above figures may vary depending on the source used. Despite this observation, there are more than enough nuclear weapons in the world to end life on Earth several times, and it is time to end this possibility before it is too late.