President Donald Trump’s foreign policy moves are causing concerns worldwide. Speculations suggest that a new nuclear arms race may be on the horizon. According to claims, the number of nuclear weapon states could rise to 25.

The Financial Times reported that with the return of President Donald Trump, a new era of nuclear weapons has begun worldwide.

During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union had at least been able to agree on one issue. Both sides were in consensus that nuclear weapons were bad for everyone. Disturbed by the situation, the American president at the time, John F. Kennedy, opened negotiations for the Prevention of the Spread of Nuclear Weapons Treaty in the 1960s.

The agreement, which came into effect in 1970, envisioned disarmament through an expansion of the American nuclear umbrella, based on the idea that allies do not need nuclear weapons for deterrence.

TRUMP’S FOREIGN POLICY MOVES However, Trump’s foreign policy moves, his close relations with Russia, his distance from NATO and Europe, have put allied states from Berlin to Warsaw, Seoul to Tokyo in unavoidable dilemmas.

What will happen if Washington’s nuclear shield to its allies is removed? How will one prepare for such a possibility?

FIVE NUCLEAR-ARMED COUNTRIES According to the Prevention of the Spread of Nuclear Weapons Treaty, the nuclear-armed countries are limited to the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council: the United States, Russia, China, France, and the United Kingdom.

However, the only country to withdraw from the agreement, North Korea, and countries that have never signed the agreement like Israel, India, and Pakistan, are also among the countries that have developed nuclear weapons.

NUMBER OF NUCLEAR-ARMED COUNTRIES COULD RISE TO 25 Analysts suggest that due to Trump’s especially concerning stance towards Russia, European and Asian allies are planning to build their nuclear shields.

According to the Financial Times, Trump’s foreign policy could increase the number of nuclear-armed states to 25.

EVALUATING NUCLEAR OPTIONS Countries currently evaluating nuclear options include Germany, Poland, South Korea, and Japan. Germany is discussing sharing nuclear weapons with France and the United Kingdom.

Poland wants to host American nuclear warheads on its territory.

Japan and South Korea intend to consider nuclear weapons as a deterrent against China and North Korea.