Hiroshima, Japan, 19 May 2023 (dpa/MIA) - The group of seven leading democratic powers (G7) made a commitment to "achieving a world without nuclear weapons with undiminished security for all" in a joint declaration at the summit in Hiroshima, Japan.

The leaders strongly condemned Russian nuclear rhetoric in what they titled the "Hiroshima Vision" and also expressed concern about China's nuclear armament.

Hiroshima was destroyed by a US atomic bomb in 1945. Three days later, another bomb hit Nagasaki, killing hundreds of thousands of people.

The leaders said in the joint statement that they were meeting at a "historical juncture" in Hiroshima, which together with Nagasaki "offers a reminder of the unprecedented devastation and immense human suffering the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki experienced as a result of the atomic bombings of 1945."

"We underscore the importance of the 77-year record of non-use of nuclear weapons," the G7 said.

"Russia's irresponsible nuclear rhetoric, undermining of arms control regimes, and stated intent to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus are dangerous and unacceptable," their statement said. A nuclear war cannot be won "and must never be fought."

China's accelerated build-up of its nuclear arsenal without transparency and meaningful dialogue also poses a "threat to global and regional stability," the statement says.

The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons must be upheld as the basis for the pursuit of nuclear disarmament and the peaceful use of nuclear energy, it said. The goal of a "world without nuclear weapons" must be achieved through a "realistic, pragmatic and responsible approach," the G7 said.

Photo: EPA