Vladimir Putin’s order to put Russia’s nuclear deterrence forces on ‘high alert’ demonstrates the need for a new and concerted campaign for international nuclear disarmament, said the Revd Beti-Wyn James, President of the Union of Welsh Independents in her St David's Day message.
“In his furious response to international sanctions against Russia for attacking Ukraine, Mr Putin has caused world–wide alarm by referring to nuclear weapons.
“Apart from occasional news stories about Iran and North Korea, we may have mistakenly consigned the immense peril of nuclear weapons to the past. Mr Putin’s veiled threat should be a wake-up call to us all.
“We’ve seen how quickly the Cold War turned into a Hot War in Ukraine. We pray God it does not escalate into a nuclear war. That would be the end of humanity.
“On St David’s Day, we should remember that Wales has a long and honourable tradition of promoting peace – from the days of Tregaron-born Henry Richard, an Independent minister and MP, and first Secretary of the International Peace Society in 1850, to the dedicated work done by the Fellowship of Reconciliation today.
“As we pray for Wales and our people this St David’s Day, we also pray for the people of Ukraine and all who are suffering in that terrible conflict.”