A US Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile is test launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California on October 2, 2019. (Photo: AFP/VNA)

Permanent UN Security Council members China, France, Russia, the UK, and the US said in a joint statement that “a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought."

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said it hopes the statement will help ease the tensions caused by security threats in the world today.

China said the joint statement could help increase mutual trust among the major powers.

A conference to review the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) that was set to begin on Tuesday at the UN was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.