Ukraine: UN chief slams 'affront to our collective conscience' | War in Ukraine
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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the first anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine as a “bleak milestone”.
UN Secretary-General The UN on Wednesday denounced the “affront to our collective conscience” caused a year ago by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, during the General Assembly where Kiev called on the whole international community to support his country.
The first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine represents a dark milestone, for the Ukrainian people and for the international community. This invasion is an affront to our collective conscience, said Antonio Guterres.
The possible consequences of the escalation of the conflict are a clear danger and already there, he said. he launched, referring to the implicit threats of the use of nuclear weapons and the irresponsible military activities around nuclear power plants.
“It is high time to step back from the abyss.
— Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General
After two days of speeches, the General Assembly is expected to vote Thursday evening on a resolution that stresses the need to achieve, as soon as possible, a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine in accordance with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations.
Like previous resolutions, all non-binding, the text reaffirms the commitment to the territorial integrity of Ukraine, demands the immediate withdrawal of Russian forces, and calls for a cessation of hostilities.
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It does not, however, refer to the 10-point peace plan presented in November by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Ukraine gave it up in an attempt to get as many votes as possible, according to diplomatic sources. At least as much as in October, when 143 countries voted for the resolution condemning the annexations of several Ukrainian territories by Russia.
I appeal to you: this is a decisive moment to show support, unity and solidarity, launched the Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kouleba, from the podium.
Never in recent history has the line between good and evil been so clear. A country simply wants to survive. The other wants to kill and destroy, he added.
This vote will go down in history, added US Ambassador Linda Thomas- Greenfield, calling for a vote against hostile amendments tabled by Moscow's ally Belarus.
But President Vladimir Putin vowed on Tuesday to “methodically” continue his offensive in Ukraine, in a speech with anti-Western rhetoric reminiscent of the Cold War.
Its ambassador to the UN, Vassili Nebenzia, also attacked Westerners. In their desire to inflict defeat on Russia in any way possible, it is not just Ukraine they can sacrifice, they are ready to plunge the entire world into the abyss of war, he charged.
This war is not a question of the West against Russia, replied the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell. This illegal war concerns everyone: North, South, East and West.
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In this context, China, which, like India, abstained in UN votes on the Ukraine, has promised to make public this week a political solution, elements of which it has presented to Kiev and Moscow.
The draft General Assembly resolution further calls for national or international prosecutions to hold perpetrators of crimes committed in Ukraine to account.
But it does not refer specifically to a special court that Kiev has demanded to judge those responsible for the Russian aggression. While a resolution to this effect could be presented later this year, the wife of the Ukrainian president, Olena Zelenska, has again pleaded for its creation.
We're not the only ones who need it, it's for everyone. So that it can't happen again, she said in a video released at a special event at the UN about human rights abuses in her country.
< p class="e-p">The three resolutions related to Russian aggression passed by the General Assembly over the past year received between 140 and 143 votes in favour, with five countries systematically voting against (Russia, Belarus, Syria , North Korea and Eritrea) and fewer than 40 abstaining.
A somewhat different fourth in April, which suspended Russia from the Human Rights Council ;man, had been less consensual (93 votes for, 24 against, 58 abstentions).
Friday, the Security Council will mark the anniversary of the invasion with a ministerial meeting in the presence, in particular, of the American Antony Blinken and the Frenchwoman Catherine Colonna.
