Guterres warns of ‘catastrophic’ consequences of conflict in Ukraine

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres used his opening speech at the Munich Security Conference to warn of a conflict in Ukraine, saying it was “time for serious de-escalation”.

“With a gathering of Russian forces around Ukraine, I am deeply concerned about the escalation of tensions and speculation about a military conflict in Europe. I still believe it will not happen. But if it does, it would be catastrophic,” he said.

“I am often asked if we are in a new Cold War. My answer is that the threat to global security is now more complex and possibly greater than ever,” he said.

“During the Cold War, there were mechanisms that enabled the protagonists to calculate the risks and use side channels to prevent crises. Today, many of those systems no longer exist and most people who have been trained to use them he is no longer here with us. ”

Speaking just before Guterres, conference president Wolfgang Isinger described this year’s conference as “the most important conference” during his 14-year presidency. People are facing, he said, “an increasing stream of mutually reinforcing crises.”

Isinger lamented the absence of Russian representatives from the conference and welcomed the participation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky – at which point many in the room applauded.

Source: AMPE

Source: Capital

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