Against the backdrop of threats from Russia and China: NATO talks on putting nuclear weapons on alert

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that NATO is negotiating the deployment of more nuclear weapons in the face of threats from Russia and China. He also added that the bloc must show all enemies its nuclear capabilities.

Here's What We Know

NATO members held consultations on moving missiles from storage to standby. Stoltenberg also called for "transparency" as a means of deterrence.

"I will not go into operational details about how many nuclear warheads should be operational and how many should be stored, but we need to consult on these issues. That is exactly what we are doing," Stoltenberg said.

Stoltenberg warned that China, in particular, is investing heavily in modern weapons, including its nuclear arsenal, which he said will grow to 1,000 warheads by 2030.

"And this means that in the not too distant future, NATO may face something it has never faced before, and that is two potential adversaries with nuclear power - China and Russia," he explained.

The number of nuclear weapons on hand is top secret, but it is estimated that the UK has around 40 out of 225 deployed at any one time. The US has about 1,700 out of 3,700. France, NATO's third nuclear power, does not share its nuclear arsenal with the alliance because of a long-standing decision to maintain independence over its own deterrent.

Source: The Daily Telegraph