UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday that the world was facing “a moment of peril”, again denouncing the “violations” committed by Moscow against Kiev, which called on Russia to ” withdraw its troops” and “stop destabilizing” the region.
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“Russia’s decision to recognize the so-called ‘independence’ of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions – and the sequel – are violations of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and are incompatible with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations”, hammered Antonio Guterres, at the opening of a meeting of the General Assembly of the United Nations.
Speaking afterwards, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba stressed that Ukraine was not a threat to Russia. “Ukraine never planned and does not plan any military operations in the Donbass,” he said.
AFP
The Ukrainian minister called on the UN to take “concrete and swift action” to stop gear he said was fueled by Russia and its military deployments.
“The start of a full-scale war in Ukraine will be the end of the world order as we know it,” warned Dmytro Kuleba, asking UN members not to recognize the regions’ independence from Donetsk and Lugansk.
“Russia must find the path of diplomacy”, that it “withdraw its troops, stop destabilizing the region”, demanded the Ukrainian minister. “We want peace!”, Launched at the end of his long speech Dmytro Kuleba, warmly applauded by the General Assembly of the UN under the impassive eye of a diplomat representing Russia.
The General Assembly meeting attended by all 193 UN members is an annual session on the “temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories”, held since the annexation of Crimea by Russia.
Several ministers have planned to speak at the all-day meeting on Wednesday. Not originally planned, Antonio Guterres decided to participate after returning hastily to New York by canceling a trip to Africa at the last minute.