Russia-Ukraine conflict pushing world into ‘wider war,’ UN chief warns

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that further escalation in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine could mean the world is heading toward a “wider war.”

The UN chief sounded the alert in a gloomy speech delivered to the General Assembly on Monday, almost a year after Russia’s special operation in the ex-Soviet republic.

“We have started 2023 staring down the barrel of a confluence of challenges unlike any in our lifetimes,” Guterres said, as he laid out his priorities for the year. “The prospects for peace keep diminishing. 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.”

“If every country fulfilled its obligations under the (UN) Charter, the right to peace would be guaranteed. It is time to transform our approach to peace by recommitting to the Charter — putting human rights and dignity first, with prevention at the heart,” Guterres stated.

He blamed the world’s economic and financial system for the increase in poverty and hunger and the widening gap between the rich and poor.

“Without fundamental reforms, the richest countries and individuals will continue to pile up wealth, leaving crumbs for the communities and countries of the global south,” Guterres said.