WASHINGTON, April 29. /TASS/. The world is on the verge of an unconstrained era of dangerous nuclear competition, and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council must introduce a moratorium on expanding their nuclear arsenals to prevent that from ever happening, a US expert told TASS on Friday.

Daryl Kimball, the Executive Director of the Washington-based Arms Control Association, described this concept as "a global nuclear freeze." According to him, it "would involve all five countries [specifically, the permanent members of the UN SC - Russia, Great Britain, China, the United States and France], but would not require new negotiations involving the United States and China, negotiations involving France and Britain." "It would still require the United States and Russia overcome their deep differences over" the Russian special military operation "in Ukraine so that they can focus on this crucial issue that affects their mutual security, which is maintaining common sense limits on the most dangerous of their nuclear arsenals - the strategic long-range nuclear weapons," the expert said.

He answered in the affirmative when asked if he had discussed the idea with officials in the United States or other `Permanent Five’ governments, but refused to elaborate.

"Have I discussed this with the [US President Joe] Biden administration? Yes. Can I tell you what they said in response now? No. Have I discussed this with other P5 governments? Some of them," Kimball said. He has not had much contact with the governments of Russia or China of late, he added.

The expert floated an approach that he said could potentially "address some of the current obstacles that we are facing with respect to nuclear restraint measures."

"And it (this approach - TASS) could create a much better environment for achieving progress on more ambitious nuclear arms control and disarmament steps in the future," Kimball believes.

Founded in 1971, the Arms Control Association is one of the most prominent American NGOs promoting public understanding of and support for effective arms control policies.