Spain calls nuclear rearmament 'historic error,' says powers forgetting past lessons

LONDON

By expanding their arsenals once again, the nuclear powers are forgetting "lessons of the past," Spain’s prime minister warned Saturday, calling this a "historical error."

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Pedro Sanchez expressed concern over nuclear rearmament and called on nuclear powers to sign a new START treaty after the last one expired on Feb. 5, leaving the US and Russia’s strategic arsenals with no binding restraints.

"The world is becoming more unstable, and we Europeans must strengthen our defense capabilities," said Sanchez.

He argued, however, that nuclear rearmament is not the right way to ensure sovereignty, territorial integrity, or security.

"Treaties were signed and nuclear arsenals were dramatically reduced, but now the tide is turning," he warned.

Sanchez added: "Nuclear powers have forgotten the lessons of the past, and they are expanding their nuclear arsenals once again."

Saying that together, the nuclear powers are spending more than $11 million every single hour on their arsenals, he cited experts suggesting that the US alone will invest $946 billion in nukes over the next decade, a sum big "enough to eradicate extreme global poverty."

"In my view, this is a mistake, a historical error that we cannot commit again, particularly not today, with artificial intelligence casting a shadow of uncertainty over the entire world."

Sanchez called on nuclear nations to "stop nuclear rearmament, sit down, negotiate and sign a new START treaty" to ensure continuity of the one that just expired.

"We need to stop (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, we need to strengthen our deterrence capabilities, but let us do it in a coordinated and targeted way that we can control," he added.