MOSCOW, March 10. /TASS/. A nuclear war is impossible because it will mean the end of civilization, Igor Vishnevetsky, deputy director of the nonproliferation and arms control department at the Russian Foreign Ministry, said during a discussion at the Valdai Club.

"This kind of war is impossible," he said. "Many specialists and experts understand what could be the consequences of a nuclear war."

Vishnevetsky said a nuclear war can’t happen "by definition."

"It’s the end of civilization and it can’t be allowed in any means."

He highlighted the fact that the five nuclear countries (Russia, China, the US, the UK and France), despite the contradictions that exist today, share the opinion that nuclear war is impossible. "We are five nuclear powers. Some of them have very serious contradictions among themselves," Vishnevetsky said. "This is now noticeable amid the Ukrainian crisis."

"Nevertheless, we are making a joint statement [on the inadmissibility of nuclear war]," he continued. "It’s a shared understanding, the foundation on which the understanding of the situation rests."

On January 3, the leaders of the five nuclear powers, which are permanent members of the UN Security Council, adopted a joint statement. They stressed that they consider it their primary responsibility to prevent war between countries possessing nuclear weapons and to reduce strategic risks. The leaders expressed confidence that there can be no winners in a nuclear war and it should never be unleashed. They spoke out against further spread of nuclear weapons and declared their desire to work with all states in order to create an atmosphere of security.