UN chief warns the world is just 'one misunderstanding' away from 'nuclear annihilation' as tensions rise across the globe

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday urged countries to reduce their nuclear stockpiles, warning that "humanity is just one misunderstanding, one miscalculation away from nuclear annihilation."

"Almost 13,000 nuclear weapons are now being held in arsenals around the world. All this at a time when the risks of proliferation are growing and guardrails to prevent escalation are weakening," Guterres said at a conference in New York of countries that are party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). 

"The clouds that parted following the end of the Cold War are gathering once more," the UN chief said, pointing to "festering" crises occurring around the world — including the "invasion of Ukraine by Russia."