The possibility of a further escalation in the Russia-Ukraine conflict has led UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to warn that a “wider war” may be on the horizon.
Guterres condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine in an address to the 193-member UN General Assembly on Monday in which he outlined his goals for 2023 and claimed that the conflict was “inflicting untold pain on the Ukrainian people with enormous global ramifications.”
“The chances for peace keep fading,” he declared. “The likelihood of greater violence and escalation is increasing.
“I am afraid that the world is stumbling into a bigger conflict. I worry that it is acting with alert eyes.
In recent weeks, violent fighting between Ukrainian and Russian soldiers for control of towns in eastern Ukraine have heightened the nearly year-long conflict.
The war for the eastern Ukrainian territory is “heating up,” according to Donetsk Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko, as Russian forces are “putting more units into the battle and destroying our cities and villages.”
On February 24 of last year, after amassing forces close to the Ukrainian border and Putin demanding a halt to NATO expansion into former Soviet republics, Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Moscow’s military strategy has experienced several setbacks as Western nations backed Kiev militarily and financially.
Russian government representatives have claimed that arming Ukraine is extending and escalating the conflict.
Even while the US and its partners have stated they do not desire a direct battle with Russia in Ukraine, US President Joe Biden has repeatedly warned Moscow against escalating the conflict and vowed to defend “every inch” of NATO territory.
In addition to the situation in Ukraine, Guterres mentioned other conflicts that pose a threat to peace, including those in Haiti, Afghanistan, Myanmar, the Sahel, and Israel-Palestine.
“The right to peace would be secured if every country upheld its commitments under the [UN] Charter,” he stated.
On Monday, Guterres also raised the issue of the dangers posed by climate change.
The secretary-general remarked, “I have a special message for fossil fuel producers and their enablers trying to expand production and reaping monster profits: If you cannot set a credible course for net zero with 2025 and 2030 targets covering all your operations, you should not be in business.”
Net zero is a climate goal that aims to reduce emissions that contribute to climate change to zero by employing technical and natural techniques to stop them from entering the atmosphere.
The fossil fuel industry was informed by Guterres that “Your fundamental product is our core concern.” “We need a revolution in renewable energy, not a self-destructive return of fossil fuels.”
Scientists caution that the climate problem will probably have disastrous effects on life on the planet if the international community does not dramatically reduce emissions.
We must get up and start working, Guterres remarked.
