Antonio Guterres says the prospect of ‘further escalation and bloodshed’ in the Russo-Ukrainian war continues to grow.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned the world that the world could be headed for a “broader war” due to the risk of further escalation. Russian-Ukrainian conflict grow.
In a speech to the 193-member United Nations General Assembly on Monday setting out his priorities for 2023, Guterres criticized Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, saying the war had “caused problems” unspeakable suffering for the Ukrainian people with profound global implications.”
“Prospects for peace keep diminishing,” he said. “The risk of further escalation and bloodshed continues to increase.
“I fear that the world is not sleepwalking in a larger war. I’m afraid he’s doing so with his eyes wide open.”
The nearly year-long conflict has intensified in recent weeks with fierce fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces for control of towns in eastern Ukraine.
Donetsk Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said on monday that the battle in the eastern Ukraine region is “heating up” with Russian forces “launching new units into the battle and wiping out our towns and villages”.
Russia debut its all-out invasion of Ukraine on February 24 last year after Moscow gathered troops near the Ukrainian border and Putin demanded an end NATO expansion into the former Soviet republics.
Moscow’s military campaign met with many failures as the Western powers provided financial and military support to Kiev.
Russian officials have argued that sending weapons to Ukraine is lengthening and strengthening conflict.
While the United States and its allies have stated they do not want a direct confrontation with Russia in Ukraine, US President Joe Biden has repeatedly warned Moscow about expanding the conflict, promising to protect it.every inch” of NATO territory.
In addition to the war in Ukraine, Guterres mentioned other threats to peace, from Israel-Palestine conflict with AfghanistanMyanmar, Sahel and Haitian.
“If every nation fulfills its obligations under [UN] Charter, the right to peace will be guaranteed,” he said,
Guterres also sounded the alarm on Monday about the threats posed by climate change.
“I have a special message for fossil fuel producers and the people who support them trying to scale up production and reap huge profits: If you can’t establish a credible roadmap, trust for the net? with your 2025 and 2030 goals all-inclusive, you shouldn’t be in business,” Guterres said.
Net zero is a climate goal that aims to bring emissions that cause climate change to zero by reducing and offsetting them, using natural and technological methods to prevent them from entering the atmosphere.
“Your core product is our core issue,” Guterres told the fossil fuel industry. “We need a revolution in renewable energy, not the rise of self-destructive fossil fuels.”
Scientists warn that if the global community does not drastically reduce emissions, climate crisis could have catastrophic consequences for life on the planet.
“We need to wake up – and get to work,” Guterres said.
