THE US and Russia account for nearly all of the world’s nuclear weapons stockpile — 92 per cent of the global total, according to a new report.

The Stockholm International Peace Institution (Sipri) 2018 yearbook showed that nine countries — the United States, Russia, Britain, France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea — held almost 15,000 nuclear warheads between them.

The organisation, which monitors the state of armaments, disarmament and international security, warned of a worrying shift away from non-nuclear options towards new nuclear programmes and missile development.