UN Chief Condemns Ukraine Invasion Ahead of Anniversary
At a General Assembly meeting nearly a year later, UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as an “affront” to the collective conscience of the global community.
At the meeting, a motion supported by Ukraine and its allies demanded that Russia withdraw immediately and unconditionally.
Ukraine hopes that countries will demonstrate solidarity by supporting the motion.
The Kremlin has accused the West of desiring Russia’s defeat at all costs.
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The Russian ambassador to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzya, stated that the United States and its allies were prepared to plunge the entire world into war.
On February 24, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent up to 200,000 soldiers into Ukraine in the largest European invasion since the end of World War II.
According to a UN estimate, the ensuing war has resulted in the deaths of at least 7,199 civilians and the injuries of thousands more, but these numbers are likely to be much higher.
In April, the mayor of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, where alleged mass executions took place, estimated that 21,000 people had died there alone.
According to the United States military, Russia and Ukraine have each lost at least 100,000 soldiers to death or injury.
More than thirteen million Ukrainians fled abroad or were displaced within the country.
Ukraine and its allies dismissed Mr. Putin’s claim that his operation was necessary to “demilitarize and denazify” Ukraine, a country with historic ties to Russia, as a pretext for an unprovoked attack.
Mr. Guterres told the General Assembly, “This invasion is an assault on our collective conscience.” It violates the United Nations Charter as well as international law.
He described the potential consequences of a “spiraling conflict” as a “clear and present danger.”
Mr. Guterres stated that the war “fanned regional instability, fueled global tensions and divisions, and diverted attention and resources from other crises and urgent global issues.”
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There had been “implicit threats to use nuclear weapons,” he stated.
“The time has come to pull back from the precipice,” he said.
“Complacency will only exacerbate the crisis and further erode our shared principles as stated in the Constitution. War is not the answer. War is the issue. People in Ukraine are enduring immense suffering. Peace is necessary for Ukrainians, Russians, and people far beyond.”
Sixty nations have sponsored the resolution, which emphasizes “the urgent need to achieve a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in Ukraine following the principles of the United Nations Charter.”
The United Nations is likely to approve the non-binding but politically significant resolution. However, the vote is unlikely to have a significant impact on Russia’s actions in Ukraine.
Voting will occur later on Thursday, the eve of the first anniversary of the invasion.
The General Assembly has voted on similar resolutions opposing Russia’s invasion over the past year. In October, 143 member states voted to condemn the illegal annexation of Ukrainian territory by Russia. Russia, Belarus, Syria, and North Korea voted against the motion, while India and China were among the 35 countries that abstained.
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Mr. Guterres spoke after Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed the West for the war in a speech.
In his address to the nation on Tuesday, Mr. Putin also announced Russia’s decision to suspend a key nuclear arms treaty after US President Joe Biden praised Western democracy for standing up to Russian aggression during a surprise visit to Kyiv.
Mr. Biden has called the decision to suspend the 2010 treaty between the United States and Russia to prevent nuclear war a grave error.
Mr. Putin met with China’s top foreign policy official, Wang Yi, in Moscow on Wednesday and stated that cooperation with Beijing was “crucial” for stabilizing the international situation. The visit marked the end of China’s claim of neutrality in the Ukraine conflict.
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