Antonio Guterres: The prospect of nuclear conflict is now back within the realm of possibility
March 15, 2022, 3:38 am

Antonio Guterres: The prospect of nuclear conflict is now back within the realm of possibility

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres/Facebook

The We For News reported, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Monday that an ongoing escalation of war in Ukraine ”whether by accident or design” will threaten the entire humanity. He further alarmed that the conflict may end up in the nuclear apocalypse.

Guterres said: “The prospect of nuclear conflict, once unthinkable, is now back within the realm of possibility."

Guterres’ comments on nuclear war were made in relation to President Vladimir Putin raising Russia’s deterrent forces – which include various strategic weapons, both nuclear and conventional – to “special” alert last month, a development the UN chief called “bone-chilling.”

Russian invasion of Ukraine (File photo: Euromaidan Press Facebook page)

On the Western side, some pundits and politicians in Europe and the US are pressing for NATO to declare a “no-fly zone” over Ukraine, a move that would see the alliance commit to shooting down Russian aircraft in Ukrainian skies, and bring nuclear superpowers into open conflict with each other. NATO leaders have thus far resisted these calls for war, and Washington has repeatedly insisted that it will not engage Russia militarily unless a NATO member is attacked.

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Aside from the specter of nuclear conflict, Guterres warned that “this war will have no winners, only losers.” The world’s poor will be particularly affected by soaring food prices, he said, noting that “Ukraine alone provides more than half of the World Food Programme’s wheat supply,” and that Russia and Ukraine combined account for half of the world’s sunflower oil supply and a third of its wheat.

He said“This war goes far beyond Ukraine,” adding that “A sword of Damocles hangs over the global economy, especially in the developing world.”

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Guterres said that the UN would allocate $40 million to provide food, aid and cash to Ukrainian civilians affected by the conflict, and that he personally had been indirectly in touch with Putin to discuss ending the conflict. The UN, he said, had also reached out to a number of third countries, including China, to discuss mediating negotiations.

Source: wefornews

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.