Biden: U.S. ready for talks with Russia, China, North Korea to reduce nuclear threat

U.S. President Joe Biden stated that his country is ready for talks with Russia, China, and North Korea “without preconditions” to reduce the nuclear threat worldwide.

Biden made this statement in a congratulatory message to this year’s Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, as reported by Ukrinform.

The American leader emphasized that humanity must continue making progress toward the day when “we can finally and forever rid the world of nuclear weapons.”

"The United States stands ready to engage in talks with Russia, China, and North Korea without preconditions to reduce the nuclear threat. There is no benefit to our nations or the world to forestall progress on reducing nuclear arsenals. Reducing the nuclear threat is important not despite the dangers of today’s world but precisely because of them," the U.S. President’s statement reads.

He stressed that these nuclear risks undermine the norms and agreements “we have worked collectively to put in place,” and they run counter to the vital work of today’s Nobel Laureates.

As reported by Ukrinform, nine nuclear states — the U.S., Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel — continued to modernize their nuclear arsenals in 2023.

On September 25, during a Security Council meeting on nuclear deterrence, Russian President Putin announced updates to the conditions under which Russia may use nuclear weapons. These updates include expanding the category of states and military alliances that Russia’s nuclear deterrence targets, as well as a broader range of military threats for which nuclear weapons could be used for ‘neutralization’.

Meanwhile, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un stated that his country would unhesitatingly use nuclear weapons if an enemy threatens its sovereignty.