The UN secretary general, António Guterres, has urged the United States, US and Russia to quickly sign a new nuclear arms control deal, as he described the expiration of the existing treaty as a “grave moment for international peace and security”.
Guterres said this on Wednesday saying the dissolution of decades of achievement could not come at a worse time because the risk of a nuclear weapon being used is the highest in decades.
Reports say the last nuclear treaty between the two powers, the New Start agreement, ended this Thursday, which formally released both Russia and the US from restrictions on their nuclear arsenals.
Guterres urged both countries “to return to the negotiating table without delay and to agree upon a successor framework” saying the previous agreement had improved the security of all peoples.