It looks like the world is preparing for war
Mikhail Gorbachev has urged Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump to strongly denounce nuclear war in the face of the “militarisation of politics and the new arms race”.
The 85-year-old, who was the eighth and final leader of the Soviet Union and its Communist Party, said he believed it looked "as if the world is preparing for war”.
The 'glasnost' Cold War politician made the comments in a piece for Time magazine ahead of Theresa May's first meeting with Trump yesterday.
The Russian-Ukrainian describes how troops, tanks and armoured personnel carriers are being brought to Europe.
He also writes how Nato and Russian forces and weapons, once deployed at a distance, are at “point-blank” range of one another.
Unconfirmed reports also say China has moved long-range missiles to the Russian border.
The frequently vocal critic also said state budgets were struggling to fund people's essential social needs but that military spending is growing.
He talks of submarines whose “single salvo” is capable of devastating half a continent.
“Politicians and military leaders sound increasingly belligerent and defence doctrines more dangerous,” said Gorbachev.
“Commentators and TV personalities are joining the bellicose chorus. It all looks as if the world is preparing for war.”
Meanwhile, French President Francois Hollande yesterday said that US President Donald Trump's administration poses "challenges" for Europe.
"Let's speak very frankly, there are challenges, there are the challenges the US administration poses to our trade rules, as well as to our ability to resolve conflicts around the world," Hollande said in Berlin at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Merkel, without mentioning Trump by name, said: "We see that global conditions are changing dramatically and quickly."
Trump has unsettled his traditional European allies with a range of radical policy plans, from calling Nato "obsolete" to announcing he would rip up a planned transatlantic trade plan.
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