In response to the escalating threat from Russia and China, NATO is reportedly considering the deployment of additional nuclear weapons. The alliance is contemplating bringing these weapons out of storage and placing them on standby, according to NATO’s chief.

What Happened: NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told The Telegraph that the organization is in the process of holding discussions about increasing transparency around its nuclear arsenal as a deterrent.

“I won’t go into operational details about how many nuclear warheads should be operational and which should be stored, but we need to consult on these issues. That’s exactly what we’re doing,” he said.

“NATO’s aim is, of course, a world without nuclear weapons, but as long as nuclear weapons exist, we will remain a nuclear alliance, because a world where Russia, China and North Korea have nuclear weapons, and NATO does not, is a more dangerous world,” Stoltenberg added.

See Also: New York City Clerks Mistakenly Approve Paperwork That Falsely Tied Ivanka Trump And Hillary Clinton To $150 Million Real Estate Scam

He further underlined the importance of nuclear weapons as NATO’s “ultimate security guarantee” and a means to maintain peace.

Why It Matters: The discussions about increasing NATO’s nuclear capabilities come at a time of heightened tensions between the alliance and Russia and China.

Earlier in April, the Kremlin had declared that Russia and NATO are in a state of “direct confrontation”, citing the conflict in Ukraine and NATO’s continued expansion towards Russia’s borders as primary reasons for the situation.

In response to this, NATO proposed a $107 billion fund to sustain Ukraine’s military support, aiming to secure long-term military aid for Ukraine and mitigate potential disruptions, such as those that might occur if former U.S. President Donald Trump returned to office.

Meanwhile, in a significant move, Armenia, a key ally of Russia, announced its intention to withdraw from the Collective Security Treaty Organization, a group often seen as Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s response to NATO. This decision by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has been viewed as another blow to the Kremlin.

Read Next: Janet Yellen Dismisses Donald Trump’s Proposal To Replace Income Tax With Tariffs: ‘The Impact Would Be To Make Life Unaffordable …’

Image Via Shutterstock

This story was generated using Benzinga Neuro and edited by Kaustubh Bagalkote