General Assembly: Eleventh Emergency
Special Session
PLENARY
ELEVENTH EMERGENCY SPECIAL SESSION, 1ST & 2ND MEETINGS (AM & PM)
GA/12404
28 FEBRUARY 2022
Note: Full coverage of today's meetings of the emergency special session of the General Assembly will be available after their conclusion.
Opening Remarks
ABDULLA SHAHID (Maldives), President of the General Assembly, emphasizing that the military offensive by the Russian Federation is a violation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and is inconsistent with the Charter of the United Nations, renewed the call for an immediate ceasefire, for all parties to exercise maximum restraint and for a full return to diplomacy and dialogue. Convening of this eleventh emergency special session, rooted in the Charter and resolution 377A(V), “Uniting for peace”, is a new opportunity to ensure that the leadership of the United Nations meets the expectation of the people it serves on matters related to peace and security. Welcoming the Secretary-General’s announcement that $20 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund will be allocated to the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, he said security and access for humanitarian efforts must be guaranteed. The ongoing military offensive is inconsistent with the Charter, drafted so soon after the Second World War and based on the principle of sovereign equality to outline a world where Member States settle their international disputes by peaceful means, without the threat or use of force.
“Let us remind ourselves that we founded the United Nations to maintain international peace and security,” he continued. To that end, he said Member States must take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to peace, and to bring about by peaceful means, and in conformity with the principles of justice and international law, adjustment or settlement of international disputes or situations. Recalling a rare window of opportunity opened on 27 February for dialogue, he said this chance must be used to meaningfully and rapidly de-escalate the situation. The General Assembly with its 193 Member States represents the collective conscience of humanity, and its strength is rooted in its moral authority. In this vein, he said: “Let’s demonstrate that moral courage and use today’s debate not to whip up war rhetoric, but to give peace a chance; let’s ignite the fire of love, humanity and compassion. Guns are better off when knotted. Let peace prevail.”
ANTÓNIO GUTERRES, Secretary-General of the United Nations, declared that the “the fighting in Ukraine must stop now”. Bombardments by the Russian Federation have been pounding the country day and night, and the capital, Kyiv, is now surrounded on all sides. Emphasizing that ordinary Ukrainians have been forced to shelter in subway stations and more than 500,000 have fled across the country’s borders, he also cited credible accounts of serious damage sustained by residential buildings and other non-military infrastructure. “Enough is enough,” he stressed, describing those attacks against Ukraine as unacceptable. Civilians must be protected and international law upheld, and Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders must be respected.
Warning of potentially dire consequences for the wider region and the entire world, he recalled that on 27 February the Russian Federation put the country’s nuclear forces on high alert. Welcoming the generosity of Ukraine’s neighbours, he recalled that during a recent call with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy he reassured him that the United Nations will not abandon Ukraine during its time of need. The Organization is already providing humanitarian assistance to some 3 million people on both sides of the contact line. “We are fully committed to staying and delivering,” he said, noting that operations are expanding to quickly get help to those who need it. Among other things, he has allocated $20 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund and appointed Amin Awad as Crisis Coordinator for Ukraine. On 1 March, the United Nations will launch two coordinated humanitarian appeals, one addressing the needs inside Ukraine, and the other seeking to support those crossing the country’s borders.
Calling on all sides to uphold their obligations to facilitate safe, rapid and unimpeded humanitarian assistance, he urged all Member States to mobilize in support of the humanitarian appeals to help those in and outside Ukraine “whose numbers will only grow” given the magnitude of the crisis. However, while aid is critical, the only true solution to the crisis is peace. The attack on Ukraine challenges international law and the global rules-based order, he said, spotlighting the possible widespread economic implications of the crisis. “The guns are talking now, but the path of dialogue must always remain open,” he said, expressing hope that the current talks taking place between the two sides will end the fighting and pave a path to lasting peace. Describing war as a distraction from the real crises facing humanity today, he stressed: “Humanity cannot afford to be locked in a mindset that dredges up the worst of the last century.”
Statements
SERGIY KYSLYTSYA (Ukraine) said that, for the first time since the birth of the United Nations, there is a full-fledged war in the heart of Europe. “Everyone in this hall, and everyone in the world, knows that Russia and Russia alone started this invasion,” he said. Speaking in Russian, he read from a series of mobile phone text messages between a Russian soldier and his mother, moments before he was killed. That death toll is only rising, he said, stressing that a large global Power — seeking military greatness — has launched a full-scale attack on its smaller neighbour. “Does this remind you of something?”, he asked, spotlighting direct parallels between the current situation and the beginning of the Second World War. Just this morning, the Russian army launched a major attack on the residential areas of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city.
Thanking the Secretary-General for his strong stance in support of peace and the United Nations Charter, he said Ukraine was forced to call for today’s emergency special session given the extraordinary circumstances it faces, and following the defeat of an important draft resolution in the Security Council last week. “We do not accept the Russian logic that the Council was unable to act due to one-sided rhetoric,” he said. Today, Moscow’s missiles are aimed at critical infrastructure near Kyiv, including bridges, airports and water reservoirs. Many residential buildings have been destroyed and kindergartens and medical facilities have been struck. Noting that Russian forces have also seized the Chernobyl nuclear power facility, with radiation levels increasing significantly, he emphasized that Ukraine has activated its right to self-defence in line with Article 51 of the United Nations Charter.
In response to all those actions, he said, the General Assembly should be vocal in demanding an end to all acts of aggression against a sovereign and independent State. Those demands must include a full and immediate withdrawal of Russian forces, a reversal of the Russian Federation’s decision regarding the status of the eastern Ukrainian regions of Luhansk and Donetsk, and the recognition of the treacherous role played by Belarus in supporting those actions. “What is happening now in Ukraine has already had humanitarian and security implications for all of you,” he said, citing impacts on food systems, energy supplies and financial markets.
He warned that, should the United Nations fail to respond to the crisis, it will face much more than criticism — it will face oblivion. As his country continues to pay the ultimate price for freedom, he stressed: “If Ukraine does not survive, international peace will not survive.” The fate of the United Nations is also at stake. Concluding, he posited that while the Russian Federation has done everything possible to legitimize its presence at the United Nations, its membership is not legitimate, as the General Assembly never voted on its admission to the Organization following the fall of the Soviet Union in December 1991.
VASSILY A. NEBENZIA (Russian Federation) said the root of the crisis lies in Ukraine itself, which flouted the Package of Measures for the Implementation of the Minsk Agreements, failed to engage in dialogue with Donetsk and Luhansk and denied recognizing them. In February, provocation continued against the people of Donbas, which requested assistance from Moscow at a time when a flood of refugees were entering the Russian Federation as Western partners turned an uncompassionate blind eye. As such, President Putin decided to react, in line with Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, with the goal being to protect those people who had suffered torment and genocide, he said, adding that: “There is a need to de-Nazify Ukraine.” Indeed, the issue of sovereignty and the territorial integrity of States feature in accusations against the Russian Federation, but these principles must apply to States that conduct themselves in line with existing norms, which Ukraine has not. His delegation is exercising its right to self-defence from Ukraine, which strives to obtain nuclear weapons, seeks North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) membership and is making territorial claims against the Russian Federation, which is protecting itself from a nationalist threat. Instead of compelling Kyiv to comply with its obligations, the West is repeating the senseless mantra that the Minsk agreements are not being implemented by the Russian Federation, which is not even part of those instruments.
The Western countries have “created a bubble that cannot but pop”, he said, noting the warnings issued in 2008 that members of NATO should think “three times” before allowing Ukraine and Georgia to join its alliance. Yet, in 2014, a brutal anti-constitutional coup in Kyiv saw nationalists and radicals seizing power to create an anti-Russian policy and a push to join NATO. Emphasizing that “for Ukraine to join NATO is a red line”, he said these actions compelled the Russian Federation to adopt measures in response. Recently, Moscow had proposed that agreements would be made between the United States and NATO, but this was rebuffed with counter-offers to discuss secondary issues. The United Nations can help to bring stakeholders together to address the situation. However, lacking any attempts to date to calmly discuss this issue, the Russian Federation voted against the draft Security Council resolution on 25 February, which was an anti-Russian and anti-Ukraine attempt to salvage and cement Kyiv authorities who have brought the country to the brink of tragedy. The Russian Federation also vetoed the draft due to issues unaddressed in its provisions: how the 2014 coup resulted with the Maidan junta raining bombs on the people of Donetsk and Luhansk, with the blessing of Western partners; how death squads and neo-Nazis shelled women and children in Donbas for eight years; and how protestors were burned alive, shot by snipers flaunting their presence.
The root of the conflict lies at the feet of the Ukraine authorities and the Western countries supporting them, he said. Right now lies are being spread across media outlets, including that the Russian Federation is shelling civilians. Nationalists, however, are deploying heavy equipment and operating in civilian areas — tactics used by terrorists that must be condemned. For eight years, a human rights body has reported how the neo-Nazis were born and are being maintained in Ukraine, with condemned criminals and convicts carrying out grave crimes, 25,000 machine guns being distributed without documentation, and with parties being tasked with slaughtering communities. On social networks, an information war has been unleashed, he said, citing 1.2 million pieces of fake news, including the correspondence just recited by his counterpart from Ukraine. To disregard the concerns of the Russian Federation runs counter to international principles. The Russian Federation did not begin these hostilities, which were unleashed by Ukraine, he said, adding that “Russia is seeking to end this war.”
OLOF SKOOG, Head of the European Union delegation, in its capacity as observer, condemned in the strongest possible terms the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine by Russian armed forces in violation of Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. The bloc also condemns the involvement of Belarus in this aggression against Ukraine and calls on the Russian Federation and Belarus to abide by their international obligations. Alarmed by the Russian Federation’s raising of the nuclear alert level, he called on that country to de-escalate, immediately return to the previous alert level of its nuclear arsenal and avoid any actions that could risk the safety or security of the nuclear power plants in Ukraine, a non-nuclear weapon State under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. “Russia bears full responsibility for this aggression and the resulting destruction and loss of life,” he said, demanding that it cease its military operations immediately and unconditionally and withdraw all forces and military equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders. He also called on the Russian Federation to engage in earnest in dialogue with a view to a political and diplomatic solution.
The Russian Federation’s actions grossly violate international law and clearly breach the United Nations Charter and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Helsinki Final Act, as well as the Russian Federation’s specific commitments to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity under the Budapest Memorandum of 1994, he said. “This is arguably the biggest aggression in Europe since the end of the Second World War,” he said, adding that it follows similar Russian aggression against its neighbours in 2008 and 2014. Failure by the Assembly to immediately and effectively acknowledge and address the Russian Federation’s actions would erode trust in the rules-based global order. “The use of force and coercion to change borders has no place in the twenty-first century,” he said, stressing that tensions and conflict should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy. The European Union and like-minded partners have been united in making unprecedented efforts to achieve a diplomatic solution. The bloc will continue to do its utmost to protect the integrity of the rules-based international system, he said, calling on all United Nations Member States to do the same.
MARTIN BILLE HERMANN (Denmark), speaking on behalf of the Nordic-Baltic Eight, said the Russian Federation counted on the world to remain silent, but “we are acting, and on this day — and until peace prevails and every Ukrainian can safely return to their homes — we stand with Ukraine.” If unanswered, the Russian aggression against Ukraine will have global and long-term negative consequences, challenging the rules-based international order, he said, adding that: “We will continue to look at every single instrument in our toolbox”. Sanctions have been enacted to cripple President Putin’s ability to finance his war machine, with the role of the Lukashenko regime in Belarus in enabling the attack also demanding a firm response. Nordic-Baltic countries have been delivering financial, humanitarian and military assistance to the people of Ukraine, and every nation must look at how to further their support. Calling on the Russian Federation to stop this senseless war, he demanded an immediate ceasefire, urging Moscow to withdraw all its forces from Ukraine and return genuinely to the path of dialogue and negotiation. Every civilian death and every war crime will be recorded and perpetrators will be held accountable and brought to justice, he said, noting Ukraine’s request to the International Court of Justice and adding: “History has its eyes on us; every legal avenue available will be used to hold the aggressor to account.”
The matter is now in the hands of the General Assembly, he said, where one veto cannot overrule the United Nations membership and where the power and legitimacy are manifested in numbers. The Russian Federation’s shameful use of the veto in the Security Council on 25 February on a matter it bears full responsibility for is completely unacceptable, and its status as a permanent Council member gives it a special responsibility of maintaining peace and security, not to violate Charter principles. The latest Council meetings showed the need for reform and demonstrated who had the firmness and valour to defend the United Nations Charter. The General Assembly has the power to send a firm message to President Putin, he said, emphasizing that: “What we say today and how we vote on the resolution presented will make a difference on the ground in Ukraine and to the Ukrainian people; they will be watching us.” The Russian Federation’s unlawful and brutal armed attack on Ukraine will affect and impact everyone. “If we do not join our forces to turn back this tide today, we will be even less equipped to deal with similar crimes in the future — wherever, on whichever continent they occur”, he said, adding that the world will hold accountable the Russian Federation, as the main aggressor, and Belarus, as the enabler.
NICOLAS DE RIVIÈRE (France), condemning the ongoing violence, said the Russian Federation’s acts of aggression violate Charter principles and it flouted its responsibility as a Security Council member when it vetoed a resolution co-sponsored by 82 Member States. The General Assembly has a historic responsibility to call for an end to war and for the Russian Federation to remove its troops from Ukraine. France supports the efforts to draft a resolution demanding the Russian Federation respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. He called on all Member States to vote in favour of the proposed draft. No one can or should avert their gaze from the armed aggression and those who are seeking refuge. Abstaining from the vote is “not an option”, he said, calling on the United Nations membership to support the draft resolution. Convening this emergency session does not mean that the Security Council renounces its responsibilities, he said, noting that the 15-member Council will meet this afternoon on the situation in Ukraine, at which France and Mexico will table a draft resolution to guarantee the safe and unhindered access to those in need in Ukraine. Noting the European Union’s €90 million humanitarian aid package, he said France has taken steps to mobilize an international response to the Russian Federation’s aggression, has imposed sanctions against the Russian Federation and will offer defence equipment to Ukraine.
BARBARA WOODWARD (United Kingdom) recalled that on 25 February 81 Member States supported a Security Council resolution to stop the war in Ukraine. Moscow was completely isolated in rejecting that text. The facts are clear: “Russia has invaded Ukraine without provocation and without justification.” Brave men and women are withstanding the barrage of attacks and fighting for Ukraine’s future as a free and independent nation. However, the humanitarian consequences are already immense, she said, citing fresh news today of shelling in residential areas of Kharkiv and noting that some 7 million Ukrainians have been displaced. Describing the international response to the Russian Federation’s aggression as united and swift, she warned: “If we do not stand up for them now, the safety of every nation’s borders and independence are at risk.” In that context, she voiced the United Kingdom’s unequivocal support for Ukraine and called on President Vladimir Putin to end the senseless war, urging all Member States to speak up for Ukraine and defend the United Nations Charter.
KAHA IMNADZE (Georgia), aligning himself with the European Union, said the Assembly has gathered in an emergency session because the Council once again failed to act as a guardian of peace and security. It is up to the Assembly to stand up and make certain the United Nations delivers on the purpose for which it was created. The use of armed force by a Member State against the sovereignty, territorial integrity or political independence of another Member State violates Article 2(4) of the Charter and constitutes an act of aggression, as defined by Assembly resolution 3314 (XXIX), adopted by consensus. “Russia’s full-scale military aggression against Georgia should have served as a wake-up call for all,” he said. Georgia knows the toll of war and its disastrous consequences. It is devastating not only for those who live through it, but passes down to generations. The core principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter, the Helsinki Final Act, the Charter of Paris for a New Europe and the commitments taken under the Budapest Memorandum are non-negotiable nor subject to revision by any country no matter how large and powerful it may be. Territorial acquisition through use of force, or a threat to do so, is illegal and impermissible. He called on the Russian Federation to immediately cease its military activities, withdraw all its forces and armaments from Ukraine, and reverse its decisions related to the status of integral parts of Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk regions and Crimea. Moreover, the Russian Federation should do the same in Georgia: withdraw forces, allow humanitarian access and reverse the status-related decision with regards to the occupied territories there.
KRZYSZTOF MARIA SZCZERSKI (Poland) fully agreed with the text of the resolution to be tabled by Ukraine and called on all Member States to stand firmly behind it as it will demonstrate the Assembly’s adherence to the principles enshrined in the Charter. To achieve peace, Poland, as the current OSCE Chairmanship-in-Office, called on Sunday for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine to let humanitarian organizations deliver assistance. There is no doubt that the international community is confronted with one of the biggest humanitarian crises in Europe since the Second World War. In the first three days of the Russian aggression, facilitated by the complicity of the Belarussian regime of Aleksandr Lukashenko, nearly 500,000 people left Ukraine and 300,000 found refuge in Poland. “Poland keeps its borders open,” he said, adding: “The nationals of all countries who suffered from Russian aggression, or whose life is at risk, can seek shelter in Poland.” Today alone, it has already welcomed people from 125 nationalities, including 100 Russians, he said, dismissing as a “complete lie and terrible insult” reports of discriminatory practices at the Ukraine-Poland border based on race or religion.
In addition to providing refuge, Poland gives those who suffer very practical and tangible help, he said, noting the birth of the first Ukrainian refugee babies in Poland and that 7,000 hospital beds in 20 hospitals are ready for Ukraine’s wounded. Poland is ready to cooperate closely with the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and any other humanitarian organizations to ease the burden on civilians targeted by Russian aggression. Noting the outpouring of spontaneous readiness to help by individuals in Poland, he said a “Helping Ukraine” website was set up for volunteers to register. “Poland may not be a geopolitical super-Power, but we want to be a solidarity super-Power,” he said, also paying tribute to the Ukrainians defending their motherland and standing for their country’s freedom.
ALEXANDER MARSCHIK (Austria), associating himself with the European Union, said he cannot remain silent in the face of the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine. Noting that such questions as the one being discussed today should be addressed by the Security Council — which also cannot remain silent when the United Nations Charter is trampled by military boots — he asked whether the system of veto power is still fit to oversee matters of peace and security. It is now the Assembly’s obligation to take up a resolution condemning Moscow’s aggression. “By voting yes, we show the world that the United Nations is still able to take up its responsibility to defend the rule of law,” and show the Ukrainian people that they are not alone. Noting that an attack on one Member State is an attack on all, he said that if a country with one of the world’s largest arsenals still feels insecure, it should pursue diplomacy and disarmament, not attacks on neighbours. He also cautioned against “what-about-ism”, stressing that misdeeds today cannot be justified by pointing to the past faults of others.
JAKUB KULHÁNEK (Czech Republic), associating himself with the European Union, urged the Russian Federation to immediately stop its military actions and to unconditionally withdraw its forces and military equipment from the territory of Ukraine. The Assembly is meeting today after a permanent member of the Security Council started a war of aggression against a fellow Member State, in flagrant violation of international law and the United Nations Charter. Echoing concern about horrific humanitarian reports coming out of Ukraine, he declared: “Let me make it crystal clear — Russia and its people are under no threat from Ukraine or NATO.” The Russian Federation’s veto in the Security Council on 25 February is yet more proof of its blatant disrespect for the United Nations. Noting that the Czech Republic stands firmly with the Ukrainian people and will vote in favour of the draft resolution before the Assembly, he urged others to do the same, declaring: “Vote with your conscience […] let us not forget that the whole world is watching.”
PASCALE CHRISTINE BAERISWYL (Switzerland) recalled that veto of the Russian Federation — a permanent Council member — of Friday’s draft resolution runs counter to Article 27 of the Charter and that, as a party to the conflict, that country should have abstained from voting. Expressing support for the Assembly’s draft resolution, she called on all Member States to do the same. The Russian Federation’s attempts to legitimize its action are not credible; there was no provocation to justify such an attack. Calling on the Russian Federation, like all nuclear-weapon States, to refrain from any threat to use these weapons, or even from using them, she noted that the Russian Federation has just joined a declaration of the five permanent Council members, which reaffirmed that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought. Calling on all parties to respect international humanitarian law and human rights, she condemned all violations, including in cyberspace. Welcoming the Secretary-General’s offer of good offices, diplomatic efforts of the Member States and news that the parties to the conflict have met today for initial negotiations, she said: “This conflict — like all conflicts — can only be solved through dialogue.”
CAROLYN JANE WEATHERALL SCHWALGER (New Zealand), voicing support for the Secretary-General’s assessment that Moscow’s decision to recognize the “independent republics” violates Charter principles, said: “We cannot pick and choose when to espouse the centrality of the Charter.” This emergency special session is a direct result of the Russian Federation’s actions and because its disgraceful veto had prevented the Council from condemning those acts. “There is no place for the veto in the Security Council,” she said, noting that New Zealand, with a group of small States, has long opposed the granting of this power to the permanent Council members. New Zealand strongly supports international efforts to de-escalate the Ukraine crisis diplomatically, she said, adding: “We, the international community, must act now to prevent further pointless loss of innocent life and to support those who now find themselves displaced through no fault of their own.” New Zealand is supporting humanitarian aid efforts and has joined others in implementing sanctions. She called on Moscow to act consistently with its international obligations, cease military operations, permanently withdraw, take all possible steps to protect civilians and return to diplomatic negotiations as a pathway to resolve the conflict.
MARKOVA CONCEPCIÓN JARAMILLO (Panama), speaking on behalf of the Alliance for Development in Democracy, called for negotiations on the basis of shared respect for the Charter and international law and condemned the violation of the territorial integrity of Ukraine by the Russian Federation. The Alliance respects the Secretary-General’s call for a cessation in hostilities and calls for moderation and reason and for international rights and humanitarian law to be respected, she said. All efforts should be made to provide rapid and unhindered access to all those in need. The serious situation is a challenge to the complex global crisis created by the pandemic. The Alliance has made joint efforts to ensure the safe transit of its nationals across the Ukraine border. Dialogue and negotiation, accompanied by respect for the Charter and Assembly resolutions, are the only guarantee for a lasting solution to the conflict affecting Eastern Europe, she said calling on all parties to return to diplomatic dialogue.
ZHANG JUN (China) said the situation in Ukraine is rapidly evolving to a point which his country “does not wish to see and which is not in the interest of any party”. Calling on all sides to exercise restraint and step up diplomatic efforts, he said Ukraine should serve as a bridge of communication between East and West instead of as a frontline for geopolitical rivalries. Rejecting any approach that might further exacerbate tensions and voicing support for continued humanitarian efforts, he stressed that civilian life and property must be guaranteed. As a permanent member of the Security Council, China is unequivocal that all countries’ sovereignty and territorial integrity must be upheld. “The cold war has long ended, and […] nothing can be gained from stirring up a new cold war,” he said, warning that one country’s security must not come at the expense of another’s and cautioning against the expansion of any military blocs.
LACHEZARA STOEVA (Bulgaria), aligning himself with the European Union, said the Assembly has gathered under extraordinary circumstances that defy reason but unfortunately are reality — that the Russian Federation, a permanent Council member, is executing an act of aggression against Ukraine, a founding United Nations member. Condemning in the strongest possible terms the Russian Federation’s unprovoked and unjustified military aggression against Ukraine, he said it not only undermines global security and stability but also puts the international rules-based order in jeopardy. “It is deplorable that the Russian Federation used its veto power to prevent the Security Council from exercising its primary responsibility for maintenance of international peace and security,” he said. Yet the Council’s decision to urgently refer the matter to the Assembly demonstrates the resolve of the other Council members to do everything possible to address this serious act of aggression. The fact that the Council has taken this decision, for the first time in 40 years, speaks of the situation’s gravity.
He demanded that the Russian Federation immediately cease its military actions, unconditionally withdraw all forces and military equipment from all of Ukraine and fully respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence. “The use of force and coercion to change borders has no place in the twenty-first century,” he said, also strongly condemning the involvement of Belarus, including by providing its territory to be used as a launching ground for the Russian aggression. Belarus must refrain from such action and abide by its international obligations. Likewise, indiscriminate acts against the civilian population in Ukraine are unacceptable and must stop immediately. The international community cannot turn a blind eye to a blatant act of aggression against a sovereign, peace-loving nation, he said, adding: “Today it is against Ukraine.”
MAURIZIO MASSARI (Italy), associating himself with the European Union, said the Assembly has the responsibility to make its voice heard in the face of the current grave threat to international peace and security. Italy has made its position in support of the Ukrainian people, and against the blatant aggression being committed by the Russian Federation, clear. Also condemning the role being played by Belarus, he said the European Union has implemented strong measures against both Moscow and Minsk, and urged the Russian Federation to abide by the principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter and the Minsk agreements package. “Russia’s actions are causing enormous human suffering and triggering a humanitarian disaster,” he warned, demanding safe and unhindered humanitarian access. He also noted that Italy is scaling up its support for Ukraine’s military capacity through a contribution of 110 million euros, as well as the provision of credit and grants.
RONALDO COSTA FILHO (Brazil) declared: “This is a defining moment for our Organization and for the world.” Noting that his country voted in favour of the resolution before the Security Council and regretting that it was not adopted, he said the urgency of the situation then convinced his delegation of the need to add the General Assembly’s voice to the conversation. “This is the moment for the principal organs of the Organization to work together […] to save us from the scourge of war.” Over recent years, the world has seen a deterioration of security and the balance of power in Eastern Europe, which paved the way for the current crisis. However, that “in no way justifies the use of force against the territorial integrity and sovereignty of any Member State”. Urging an end to belligerent acts before it is too late, he also called upon all actors to reassess their decisions concerning the supply of weapons and the application of sanctions, particularly those which could affect the global economy in such critical areas as food security.
ROBERT KEITH RAE (Canada) said Moscow has unleashed a war of aggression fuelled by President Putin’s desire to restore colonialism. The Russian Federation illegitimately used its veto power in the Council and is threatening to use nuclear weapons, flagrantly violating the Joint Statement of the Leaders of the Five Nuclear-Weapon States on Preventing Nuclear War and Avoiding Arms Races made in January. Through today’s draft, Member States have a chance to stand up and rebuke the evil notion that might makes right, he said, calling on all to support it. There must be accountability, he said, raising deep concerns about Belarus over Charter violations, aiding the Russian Federation’s invasion, sending forces into Ukraine and revoking its non-nuclear weapon State status. Speaking to the Ukrainian people, he said Canada stands ready to assist in defending their country and to hold parties accountable. To the people of the Russian Federation who are opposed to the war, he said: “Canada and the world see you.” President Putin has sorely miscalculated and severely misjudged the resolve of the world to stand against him, he said, adding that: “We say, together: President Putin, stop the war. Stop it before there is more death. Stop the use of threats. Take your finger away from the nuclear button. Come to grips with the reality of our time.” It is never too late to make a turn to diplomacy, dialogue and negotiation. The alternative cannot happen, he said, emphasizing that: “It now falls to all of us […] to stand up for the principles of the Charter and to heal the hurt and pain that has been caused by this terrible war of aggression; this responsibility belongs to us, and we must seize this moment of accountability, democracy and justice, together.”
BURHAN GAFOOR (Singapore), welcoming the convening of this session for allowing even small States to raise concerns, said the Russian Federation’s unprovoked invasion violates the Charter and presents an existential issue for a tiny nation like his country. A world order where might makes right would jeopardize small nations. Indeed, there is no justification for invading an independent State, especially based on such claims as “historical errors and crazy decisions”, he said, deploring the Russian Federation’s military operations across Ukraine. Noting with great sadness and regret the loss of innocent lives, he said the scale of humanitarian assistance is clear. The sovereignty of all States must be respected. Expressing support for the Secretary-General’s recent announcements and actions, he said: “The world is watching us as we meet in the General Assembly.” Member States must act swiftly and with great purpose, he said, adding that Singapore supports the draft and will always vote to uphold the Charter. This resolution is not about taking sides, but about upholding international law and the Charter. “The United Nations is being tested today,” he said, noting that all countries, especially small States, “must send a clear signal that we are united to uphold international law.”
For information media. Not an official record.
No comments:
Post a Comment