Guterres called on the nuclear-weapon states to stop "gambling on the fulfillment of disarmament obligations and the complete elimination of the nuclear threat."

Statue of St. George slaying the dragon made from fragments of the former Soviet SS-20 and United States Pershing nuclear missiles in front of the United Nations Headquarters building. The statue was presented to the United Nations by the former Soviet Union in 1990 on the occasion of its 45th anniversary

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said in New York on Thursday that nuclear-weapon states continued to "bet" against disarmament measures. He pointed out that the bet on the future of humanity must stop and that the nuclear-weapon States must honor their commitments and fulfill their disarmament obligations. Pending the elimination of nuclear weapons, those States should undertake not to use them under any circumstances and to show maximum transparency in all matters related to nuclear weapons.

"Double Madness"

In his speech at the high-level meeting to commemorate and promote the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, Guterres said that nuclear weapons are double madness. First, the presence of atomic weapons can destroy entire populations, communities, and cities in a single attack. Using it would trigger a humanitarian catastrophe – a nightmare that transcends borders and affects us all. These weapons do not bring absolute security or stability, only imminent danger and a constant threat to our very existence.

Moreover, despite the enormous existential risks that these weapons pose to humanity, we are no closer to eliminating them than we were ten years ago. We are heading in the wrong direction entirely.

Stop the nuclear "bet"

Guterres said that since the worst days of the Cold War, the specter of nuclear weapons has cast such a gloomy shadow. The saber-rattling of atomic war has reached a fever pitch, and we have even heard the threat of the use of nuclear weapons. There are fears of a new arms race. At the same time, the norms prohibiting the use, proliferation, and testing of atomic weapons, painstakingly established over decades, are eroding.

At the same time, he pointed out that disarmament and non-proliferation were two sides of the same coin and that progress in one area would give impetus to the other. He called on Russia and the United States to return to the nuclear arms reduction process. He said other nuclear-weapon states should follow suit in due course.