Guterres made this comment in a speech to the United Nations General Assembly that focused on a variety of topics, including Russia's special military operation in Ukraine.
"We have started 2023 staring down the barrel of a confluence of challenges unlike any in our lifetimes," said Guterres. He even noted how top scientists had moved the "Doomsday Clock" – a metaphorical clock analyzing how close humanity is to a global man-made catastrophe – to just 90 seconds to midnight. This is the closest the world has ever been to global annihilation. (Related: Doomsday Clock now set at 90 seconds to midnight – the closest the world has ever been to nuclear annihilation.)
Guterres notes that he is taking this as a warning for people to "wake up and get to work" on resolving the world's most urgent issues – first and foremost brokering peace between Russia and Ukraine.
"The chances of further escalation and bloodshed keep growing. I fear the world is not sleepwalking into a wider war. I fear it is doing so with its eyes wide open," he said. "We need peace – in line with the UN Charter and international law."
Aside from the conflict in Ukraine, Guterres also referenced ongoing conflicts in Afghanistan, Haiti, Israel and Palestine, Myanmar and the Sahel region of Africa.
"If every country fulfilled its obligations under the UN Charter, the right to peace would be guaranteed," he said. "[It is] time to transform our approach to peace by recommitting to the charter – putting human rights and dignity first, with [conflict] prevention at the heart."
Western arms shipments responsible for escalating conflict
Russian officials have repeatedly pointed out that Western weapons coming from the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization are responsible for prolonging and intensifying the conflict in Ukraine.
As of the end of January, the U.S. has already provided Ukraine with over $27 billion worth of military aid. This includes over 80,000 weapons systems, vehicles, boats and communications equipment – as well as 31 M1 Abrams main battle tanks – and over 113 million rounds of ammunition for everything from small arms to artillery shells.
Congress is also preparing to provide the country with an additional $2 billion worth of military aid. This latest aid package is expected to include longer-range rockets for the first time, further escalating the conflict.
Despite the sheer scale of American weapons shipments to Ukraine, the U.S. and its allies continue to insist that they do not seek a direct confrontation with Russia. But at the same time, President Joe Biden has repeatedly warned Moscow to not expand the conflict, and has promised to protect "every inch" of NATO territory.
In his speech to the UN General Assembly, Guterres denounced the lack of "strategic vision" and the "bias" political and business leaders and decision-makers had toward short-term achievements, including short-term political and economic gains continued arms shipments provide.
"The next poll. The next tactical political maneuver to cling to power. But also the next business cycle – or even the next day's stock price," he said. "This near-term thinking is not only deeply irresponsible – it is immoral."
Learn more about the potential escalation of conflict around the world at WWIII.news.
Watch this episode of the "Health Ranger Report" as Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, discusses how Germany and the United States are pushing Russia toward nuclear escalation by sending battle tanks to Ukraine.
This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com.
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