THE CAMPAIGN for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) has condemned the outcome of the NATO summit in Vilnius. CND says the nuclear-armed alliance is continuing its global expansion while failing to take any initiative to bring the war in Ukraine to a peaceful conclusion.
Finland is the latest state to join NATO, with Sweden keen to follow suit. The summit confirmed that Ukraine’s future belongs in NATO, which CND says is a recipe for continued conflict and instability. Elsewhere NATO is planning to further increase its influence in the Indo-Pacific, and is looking at how to expand its reach in the Middle East and Africa by the time of next year’s summit.
Pressure is mounting on member countries to boost spending in the military-industrial sector, which at a time of economic uncertainty and climate breakdown, will only lessen our overall security and cause serious hardship, says CND. Through its ‘Wages Not Weapons’ campaign, the organisation is calling instead for defence diversification into socially useful sectors.
The summit emphasised that British and US nuclear weapons remain at the heart of NATO’s defence posture in Europe, that NATO will continue to modernise its arsenal and prepare for its use. This refers not only to the UK’s Trident system but also to the US’ upgraded B61-12 guided nuclear bombs stationed across Europe. CND calls for all NATO nuclear weapons to be withdrawn from Europe and all Russian nuclear weapons to be withdrawn from Belarus.
CND General Secretary Kate Hudson said: “As the risk of nuclear war continues to grow, CND calls on civil society to resist the militarisation of our societies and work for peace and disarmament – and a new concept of security based on equality, justice and meeting the needs of people and planet.”
* More information on the Wages Not Weapons campaign here.
* Source: Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament