Overview

• Over 12,000 nuclear warheads remain worldwide, maintaining a potent legacy of civilian devastation from 1945.
• Russia’s nuclear signaling toward Ukraine, including weapon deployments in Belarus, has constrained Western aid strategies.
• Iran’s nuclear ambitions persist despite decades of sanctions, raising proliferation concerns.
• China’s nuclear arsenal doubled from 2020 to 2023, intensifying strategic competition among major powers.
• Experts warn that without CTBT ratification and a New START replacement, both nuclear weapons limits and test bans could unravel, risking renewed arms buildups.