The United States will attend the Vienna Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons this December. Following a careful review of the agenda, as well as discussions with the conference host Austria, the United States concluded there were real prospects for constructively engagement with conference participants.

The United States fully understands the serious consequences of nuclear weapons use and gives the highest priority to avoiding their use. 

The United States is committed to seeking the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons. As we have said previously, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is the focus of our efforts on disarmament, as well as on nonproliferation and the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. However, this conference is not the appropriate venue for disarmament negotiations or pre-negotiation discussions and the United States will not engage in efforts of that kind in Vienna.

We look forward to presenting the U.S. perspective at the Vienna Conference. This event will be a useful opportunity to highlight the significant progress the United States has made and the resources it devotes to create conditions under which nuclear weapons are never again used.