New York, February 24 – The Russian-led war in Ukraine is a “blatant violation” of the U.N. Charter and international law, with profound impacts on the world, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told a Security Council debate attended by foreign ministers to mark the anniversary of the war.
The war has “unleashed widespread death, destruction and displacement. Attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure have caused many casualties and terrible suffering,” Guterres said.
“Life is a living hell for the people of Ukraine,” he said, adding that an estimated 17.6 million people, or nearly 40 per cent of Ukraine’s population, require humanitarian assistance and protection and the war has erased 30 per cent of pre-war jobs. More than 8 million Ukrainians have taken refuge in neighboring countries and an estimated 5.4 million others are internally displaced.
He said more than half of all Ukrainian children have been forced from their homes and over 3,000 schools and colleges have been damaged or destroyed. Vital infrastructure is under fire – water, energy and heating systems have been destroyed in the depths of a freezing winter. The UN has recently appealed for $5.6 billion to help millions of people affected by the war
“We need peace — peace in line with the U.N. Charter and international law,” he said. “As we work for peace, we will continue calling for action on many fronts. Protection of civilians must remain the top priority. Attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure must stop.”
Antony Blinken, the U.S. Secretary of State, supported the call to adhere to the U.N. Charter and dismissed any political proposals contrary to the Charter.
“Any peace that legitimizes Russia’s seizure of land by force will weaken the Charter and send a message to would-be aggressors everywhere that they can invade countries and get away with it,” Blinken told council members. “No member of this council should call for peace while supporting Russia’s war on Ukraine and on the U.N. Charter.”
The 15-nation Security Council meeting took place one day after the General Assembly, which has 193 nations members, voted 141 against 7 to adopt a new resolution that called for a “comprehensive, just and lasting peace” in Ukraine in line with the principles of the U.N. Charter. The countries that voted against: Russia, Belarus, North Korea, Eritrea, Mali, Nicaragua and Syria
The vote took place at the end of a two-day emergency session of the U.N. General Assembly during which representatives of more than 80 countries expressed their views on the war that broke out after Russian military forces invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022. A total of 32 countries abstained, including China, Cuba, India, Pakistan, Vietnam and South Africa.
The resolution said efforts to end the year-old war should be consistent with the U.N. Charter, including principles of sovereignty, equality and territorial integrity of states. The resolution is titled “Principles of the Charter of the United Nations underlying a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine.”
Since Russian troops invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022 the U.N. has repeatedly condemned the action as a violation of the U.N. Charter, which calls for resolving disputes through peaceful means, and international rule of law.
Russia has used its veto power as one of five permanent members of the 15-nation U.N. Security Council to blunt all diplomatic action aimed at ending the war. The other permanent members are the United States, United Kingdom, France and China.
On February 25, 2022 the council voted 11-1 on a resolution that demanded an immediate stop of the Russian aggression and the withdrawal of Russian troops. Russia voted no and its veto killed the resolution.
(By J. Tuyet Nguyen)
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