A meeting of representatives of five nuclear states was held in Dubai: Russia, the USA, China, France and Great Britain

Pic.: cgtn.com

Representatives of five nuclear-armed states – Russia, the United States, China, France, and Great Britain – attended a closed-door meeting in Dubai, TASS informs.

It marked the first full-fledged consultations under China's chairmanship of the group of five nuclear-weapon nations (P-5). According to a statement released by the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the focus of the meeting was on nuclear doctrines. This approach is particularly relevant as Russia updates its nuclear doctrine, Kommersant writes.

The meeting took place on December 4, but the Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a report on the matter several days later. Such a gap occurred because, once consultations conclude, member states work meticulously to finalize a joint communique.

The P-5 group, created at the UK’s initiative in 2009 to support the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), is a unique platform in the current situation. Unlike many other multilateral mechanisms, which have become largely dysfunctional amid heightened confrontation between global powers, this platform remains generally operational.

Center for Energy and Security Studies Director Anton Khlopkov points out that for Moscow, the nuclear P-5 group is first and foremost "an important channel for conveying Russia’s concerns about strategic risks related to the conflict around Ukraine and the doctrinal changes in Russia’s fundamental documents determining the country’s nuclear policy, which stem from escalatory steps by the US and other Western countries."

Meanwhile, the group’s agenda is not limited to doctrines. "It seems that the P-5 channel could be used for discussions of risks pertaining to the potential proliferation of nuclear weapons. In recent months, certain countries in Europe, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East have made more and more statements about their interest in acquiring these weapons of mass destruction," Khlopkov noted. "However, judging by the available information, it’s Western countries that appear unwilling to hold such discussions within the P-5," he added.

Still, the expert emphasizes that Russia’s initiative to set up a P-5 expert group of non-government specialists from the five countries, which was tested during Moscow’s chairmanship, has now become a regular element of dialogue. "This can be considered an important achievement of the Russian chairmanship of the group," Khlopkov observed.

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