NEW YORK – Ukraine’s foreign minister has called on the international community to support his country a year after Russia began its war against his state.
“A year later, against all odds, Ukraine is effectively defending itself against a much stronger enemy, and I appeal to you: the decisive moment has come to show support, unity and solidarity,” said said Dmitry Kuleba, speaking at a special emergency session. of the United Nations General Assembly, convened on the anniversary of the Russian invasion.
The Assembly will consider a draft resolution proposed by Ukraine which stresses the urgent need to achieve a “comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on the principles of the Charter of the United Nations”.
Kiev and its allies hope to garner broad support in a vote scheduled for Thursday to signal to Moscow that international support for Ukraine remains strong a year after the conflict began.
Nearly 70 countries have co-sponsored the document.
“We must send a strong and clear signal that the Charter of the United Nations, including the principles of equal sovereignty and territorial integrity of States, must serve as the basis for the peace process,” Kuleba said.
Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya called on UN member states to vote against the draft resolution, which he called “emasculated” and “out of touch with reality”.
“Do we have any reason to trust the statements of Western representatives today that they want peace? Nebenzya asked.
According to the Russian diplomat, the West “showed its true face” and showed that its objective was to arm Ukraine in order to inflict a “strategic defeat on Russia, to dismember and destroy it”.
US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the proposed resolution aims to promote diplomacy, dialogue and achieve lasting peace in Ukraine.
“Dear colleagues, this vote will go down in history. On the first anniversary of this conflict, we will see how the countries of the world relate to the issue of peace in Ukraine,” she said.
Commenting on his own trip to Ukraine late last year, Thomas-Greenfield said that “it is difficult to overestimate the amount of unnecessary suffering and pain the President has caused [России Владимир] Cheese fries.”
Speaking at the opening of the meeting, UN Secretary-General António Guterres reiterated his position that the Russian invasion is illegal and violates the UN Charter.
He reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to “the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders”.
Guterres has visited Ukraine twice since the invasion began a year ago. Having failed to initiate peace talks, he tried to use his influence to mitigate some of the global consequences of the conflict, including the withdrawal of grain and fertilizer from Ukraine and Russia for the supply of world markets, and the de-escalation of the situation around Ukrainian nuclear power plants.
“Although the outlook may seem bleak today, we must all work knowing that real and lasting peace must be based on the Charter of the United Nations and international law,” said António Guterres. “The longer the fighting lasts, the more difficult this job will be.”
The UN General Assembly will consider a draft resolution calling for the search for a “just and lasting peace” in Ukraine
