UN Chief Sounds Alarm as Historic Nuclear Arms Control Treaty Expires Amid Global Instability
In a stark warning, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has described the expiration of the New Start nuclear arms control treaty between the US and Russia as a "grave moment for international peace and security." This milestone marks the first time in over half a century that neither side is bound by any limits on their strategic nuclear arsenals.
The treaty, which was signed in 2010, aimed to reduce the number of deployed strategic warheads to 1,550 per side. The expiration has triggered fears of a new global arms race, with Russia and the US controlling more than 80% of the world's nuclear warheads. Guterres emphasized that this dissolution of decades-long achievements comes at an inopportune time, as the risk of nuclear conflict is higher than it has been in decades.
The UN chief urged Washington and Moscow to return to negotiations without delay to establish a successor framework. Failure to do so could have severe consequences for global stability, potentially threatening the 1970 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which aims to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.
Experts point to the Trump administration's handling of the treaty as a significant factor in its expiration. The lack of diplomatic engagement and the sidelining of career diplomats during his tenure created an environment that was conducive to the treaty's demise. Despite this, some observers believe that ideology played a role in the treaty's demise, with the Trump administration expressing skepticism towards international limits on nuclear testing.
As tensions between Russia and the US continue to escalate over Ukraine, the world holds its breath, awaiting a response from either side. The Pope has weighed in, calling for both nations to take responsibility and seek concrete solutions to prevent an arms race.
The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, reiterates that any new agreement must include China, citing their rapidly growing nuclear arsenal as a pressing concern. With the clock ticking on a potential global catastrophe, the international community remains on high alert, hoping for swift action from the world's two nuclear superpowers.
In a stark warning, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has described the expiration of the New Start nuclear arms control treaty between the US and Russia as a "grave moment for international peace and security." This milestone marks the first time in over half a century that neither side is bound by any limits on their strategic nuclear arsenals.
The treaty, which was signed in 2010, aimed to reduce the number of deployed strategic warheads to 1,550 per side. The expiration has triggered fears of a new global arms race, with Russia and the US controlling more than 80% of the world's nuclear warheads. Guterres emphasized that this dissolution of decades-long achievements comes at an inopportune time, as the risk of nuclear conflict is higher than it has been in decades.
The UN chief urged Washington and Moscow to return to negotiations without delay to establish a successor framework. Failure to do so could have severe consequences for global stability, potentially threatening the 1970 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which aims to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.
Experts point to the Trump administration's handling of the treaty as a significant factor in its expiration. The lack of diplomatic engagement and the sidelining of career diplomats during his tenure created an environment that was conducive to the treaty's demise. Despite this, some observers believe that ideology played a role in the treaty's demise, with the Trump administration expressing skepticism towards international limits on nuclear testing.
As tensions between Russia and the US continue to escalate over Ukraine, the world holds its breath, awaiting a response from either side. The Pope has weighed in, calling for both nations to take responsibility and seek concrete solutions to prevent an arms race.
The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, reiterates that any new agreement must include China, citing their rapidly growing nuclear arsenal as a pressing concern. With the clock ticking on a potential global catastrophe, the international community remains on high alert, hoping for swift action from the world's two nuclear superpowers.
. The UN chief is right, this is a grave moment for peace and security. I mean, we're talking about nuclear warheads here, which is like, totally unacceptable. The lack of diplomacy and career diplomats during the Trump admin's handling was huge 
. And now, with Russia and the US on the brink of an arms race... it's like, what's next? 
. I'm not sure about this whole 'China has to be included' thing though 
. Like, don't we have enough going on already? 
. But I guess if China's nuclear arsenal is a concern... then yeah, let's talk about it 
.
. We need some world leaders to step up and take responsibility for their actions 
. The Pope's right, we gotta seek solutions, not just sit back and hope for the best 
.
!
. The UN chief is right, it's a grave moment for international peace and security. We need those two superpowers to get their act together ASAP 
. It's not like they're the only ones with nukes, but come on, let's focus on reducing the risk of nuclear conflict first 
. This is what's keeping me up at night 
.
. What's even more concerning is that it seems like the US and Russia are too caught up in their own games to care about what happens next. I just hope they snap out of it before it's too late...
man this is getting scary we're already at 80% of all nukes controlled by just 2 countries it feels like the whole world is holding its breath waiting for either US or Russia to blink but what if they don't even try to talk to each other anymore? I'm not sure how much more of this I can take. It's like we're sleepwalking into a global disaster and no one knows how to wake us up 
the pope is right tho, both russia and us need to step up and not let this escalate into a full-blown arms race 
anyway i'm just over here prayin for the world 