Presidents Biden and Putin to meet in Geneva June 16. Legislators join others in call for no-first-use and an end to the nuclear arms race.

Legislators from a mix of nuclear armed, nuclear allied and non-nuclear states have joined other political, military, academic, religious and civil society leaders in an Open Letter released yesterday (June 10) calling on US President Joseph Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin to use the opportunity of their June 16 Summit in Switzerland to reduce tensions between the two countries, lower the risks of a nuclear exchange and recommit to the goal of a nuclear-weapon-free world.

The Open Letter, with over 900 endorsements, calls in particular for the leaders to make a ‘joint commitment that their nations will not use nuclear weapons first under any circumstances, and to make this a key step toward fulfilling the United Nations’ goal to totally eliminate nuclear weapons from the planet.’

It remains open for additional endorsements until June 14, just before the Summit. Click here to endorse.

Other legislative action

The Open Letter to Presidents Biden and Putin comes at a time when there is increasing concern about the conflicts between nuclear-armed States – including Russia and the USA – and a growing global movement calling for the adoption of No-First-Use policies in order to prevent a nuclear exchange arising from conflict escalation, miscalculation or pre-emption. This is accompanied by No-First-Use legislation introduced in the US Congress by Senator Elizabeth Warren, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Representative Adam Smith, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.

“Threatening to use nuclear weapons first makes America less safe because it increases the chances of a miscalculation or an accident. There are no winners in a nuclear war, and the US should never start one,” said Senator Warren. 

Also yesterday, PNND Co-President Senator Ed Markey and Representative James McGovern reintroduced the Hastening Arms Limitation Talks (HALT) Act, calling for renewed U.S. leadership to negotiate a multilateral freeze on the testing, production, and further deployment of nuclear weapons. The reintroduction of the act takes place on the anniversary week of the historic 1 million strong nuclear disarmament protest in New York’s Central Park in 1982.

“Four decades ago, I joined the one million Americans gathered at New York’s Central Park to demand a freeze to the Cold War arms race. This rally led to the negotiations of arms control treaties and agreements that eliminated and limited entire classes of nuclear weapons,” said Senator Markey. “It’s time for a reboot with a 21^st Century nuclear freeze movement adapted for our multipolar world that halts quantitative and qualitative upgrades in the stockpiles of the world’s nuclear weapons powers."

“The HALT act is an important reminder that there is strong congressional and public support for reducing the dangerously large stockpiles of US and Russian nuclear weapons,” said William J. Perry, former U.S. Secretary of Defense (1994-1997). “When Presidents Biden and Putin meet next week in Geneva, they need to focus their energies on the greatest danger we face: nuclear war. It is time to take the next step on nuclear arms control. We thank Sen Markey for his leadership.” 

“The United States and Russian nuclear arsenals are an existential threat to the entire human race and to our own citizens,” said Cole Harrison, Executive Director, Massachusetts Peace Action. “The HALT Act provides a critical roadmap to reduce the danger of nuclear war and resume serious steps to freeze development of nuclear weapons and delivery systems, reduce nuclear weapons, ratify the CTBT and kickstart diplomacy embracing all nuclear weapon states.  We need to stop the new arms race and stop the rush to a new cold war with Russia and China!”

For additional supportive quotes, see Senator Markey and Rep McGovern reintroduce the HALT Act.