Map shows where all the world's nuclear weapons are
A map showing all countries with nuclear weapons (Picture: Getty)
Nato is considering putting more of its nuclear weapons on standby amid a growing threat from Russia and China.
Jens Stoltenberg, the 13th secretary general of the Western alliance, may just be flexing his muscles in the face of Vladimir Putin – but his warning is not alleviating concerns over World War Three being around the corner.
It is either another move in the West’s tactical chess match with the president, or a game of Russian roulette.
Stoltenberg told the Telegraph that members were consulting on deploying more warheads, taking them out of storage and placing them on standby.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the military alliance holding talks in Switzerland on deploying more nuclear weapons was an ‘escalation of tension’.
Nato later sought to clarify Stoltenberg’s remarks, saying there were no significant changes to its nuclear posture.
Spokesperson Farah Dakhlallah stressed: ‘Nato is committed to ensuring a safe, secure and effective nuclear deterrent.’
How many nuclear weapons does Nato currently have?
Three Nato members are nuclear powers: the US, the UK and France (Picture: Metro.co.uk)
Of Nato’s 32 member states, only three have nuclear weapons – the US, France and the UK.
The number of operational nuclear weapons is top secret, but Statista estimates from last year claim there are 4,223 in total. That’s 3,708 in the US, 290 in France and 225 in the UK.
Under the Nato sharing program, Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey also host warheads on their soil.
But the White House retains absolute control and custody over the weapons it deploys.
Seven members of the military alliance also have dual-capability aircraft that can carry conventional bombs or nuclear warheads. These are available for use, should such a strike be needed.
Russia has the most nuclear warheads in the world (Picture: Getty Images)
The US, France and the UK are the only nuclear-capable Nato countries (Picture: Getty Images)
Estimated number of nuclear warheads per country
North Korea: 30
Israel: 90
India: 165
Pakistan: 170
UK: 225
France: 300
China: 500
US: 5,000
Russia: 6,000
Iran: Unknown
Source: Statista
Which other countries have nuclear weapons?
Altogether, seven non-Nato countries have formally declared the possession of nuclear armaments – Russia, North Korea, China, Israel, India, Iran and Pakistan.
Russia sits at the top of the nuclear food chain, with 6,000 weapons at its disposal.
Historically, Russia has always used nuclear arms as its final threat and sought to keep an arsenal comparable – or superior – to that of the US.
It is thought North Korea has 30 warheads but the material to make double that if desired.
With 90 warheads, Israel has been developing its nuclear programme since the 1960s – but it has never formally acknowledged its existence, adhering to a policy of nuclear secrecy. As such, the true scale of what the nation possesses is largely unknown.
The Russian nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine Kazan docked in Havana (Picture: Reuters)
India has 165 weapons in its stockpile – its largest ever. But they are not designed to fight nations from the other side of the world.
Instead, they have amassed nukes as a means to defend themselves against China and Pakistan.
The number of warheads in China is estimated to be around 500, but the US have warned they expect this number to rise to 1,000 warheads by 2030.
For now, Iran is transparent about having a nuclear programme but insists that it has developed no warheads and has no plans to.
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