Russian Federation Delegate Claims West Prevented Kyiv from Making Peace, but Ukrainian Minister Says Country Will Continue Defending Itself
Ministers, senior officials and representatives from around the world called for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and for peace talks to commence, decrying the crimes being committed against civilians and children, while warning against escalation of the conflict into a third world war, as the Security Council addressed for the second time in a week the impact of the conflict on both the region and the international community.
“The guns are talking now, but in the end we all know that the path of diplomacy and accountability is the road to a just and sustainable peace,” United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, painting a bleak portrait of the situation in Ukraine, where 17.6 million people — 40 per cent of the population — require humanitarian assistance.
Life is a living hell for the people of that country, he said, with 30 per cent of pre-war jobs erased and nearly 40 per cent of Ukrainians unable to afford or access enough food. The war has sparked a displacement crisis not seen in Europe in decades, with 8 million Ukrainian refugees and 5.4 million people internally displaced.
However, progress has been made under the Black Sea Grain Initiative, he noted, reporting that 20 million metric tons of foodstuffs have now been safely reconnected to global supply chains on more than 700 ships, helping to bring down prices around the world. He also urged all parties to implement a nuclear safety protection zone at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station to avoid a serious accident with potentially disastrous consequences.
Many speakers condemned crimes committed by the Russian Federation in the past year, spotlighting the forced deportation of tens of thousands of Ukrainian children to Russian families. They also called attention to the General Assembly resolution adopted on 23 February which called on the Russian Federation to withdraw its troops and follows the logic of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s 10-point peace plan to restore respect for the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“We should never lose sight of the human drama,” said Brazil’s representative, urging the international community to put aside illusions about a military solution. He voiced concern about the armed stalemate on the ground, triumphalist rhetoric on both sides and prospects of new military offensives, noting that time has come to also give voice to those who want to speak in ways to build peace. International humanitarian law and its principles are not optional, he emphasized, adding that countries such as his — which are not directly involved in the conflict — have a constructive role to play in fostering dialogue.
China’s delegate, stressing that the international community must think about how to stop the fighting as soon as possible, pointed to the position paper just issued by his Government on a political settlement aiming to help resolve the conflict. Citing the impartial stance of his delegation, he said a solution must observe universally recognized law. The strengthening of military blocs will not bring about peace, he observed, calling on the international community to create platforms for negotiations — the only way to resolve the conflict.
Péter Szijjártó, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary, said as a direct neighbour of Ukraine, his country is faced with its tragic consequences of the war on a daily basis. The longer this war lasts, the more losers there will be, more damage will occur, and more people will be killed, he cautioned, noting that deliveries of weapons — with further packages of sanctions — do not save lives. “If channels of communications are stopped, the hope for peace is given up,” he said, calling on States to concentrate on how to prevent the conflict from escalating into a third world war. In this context, he warned against direct confrontation between the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the Russian Federation.
Antony Blinken, Secretary of State for the United States, said when President Vladimir Putin found he could not break the Ukrainian military, he tried to break the Ukrainian spirit. Despite the thousands of men, women and children killed, the energy infrastructure destroyed, and children abducted and relocated to the Russian Federation, the spirit of Ukrainians is stronger than ever. The Council should not be fooled by any calls for a ceasefire, he stressed, noting that the Russian Federation will use any pause in fighting to replenish its forces. “Russia fights for conquest. Ukraine fights for its freedom.” If the Russian Federation stops fighting, the war ends, but if Ukraine stops fighting, it ceases to exist, he warned.
Refuting that, the Russian Federation’s representative insisted: “Ukraine is up to its elbows in blood and Nazi tattoos.” If Ukraine did not wage war against the people in Donetsk and Luhansk, there would have been no need for Moscow’s special military operation and Crimea would have probably remained within Ukraine. Moscow has never stated that it intends to “de-Ukrainize” Ukraine, he emphasized, rejecting the claim that if Ukraine will stop fighting, there will be no Ukraine. Instead, if Ukraine ends hostilities, it will get the chance to be reborn as a peace-loving State. Moscow is ready to negotiate about how the goals of the special military operation could be implemented using peaceful means. Ending hostilities, however, is not in the interest of the collective West which prevented the Kyiv regime from making peace in April 2022, he pointed out.
Rejecting that narrative, Dmytro Kuleba, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, declared: “Ukraine will resist as it has done so far, and Ukraine will win.” Russian propaganda has fabricated this hypocritical narrative that supplying Ukraine with weapons fuels the war, adding that his country indeed needs weapons, just as a firefighter needs water to extinguish a fire. While arming a country that defends itself from aggression is legitimate and is an act of defending the Charter of the United Nations, helping an aggressor is illegitimate and constitutes a crime under the Charter. In this context, he urged for the establishment of a special tribunal with specific jurisdiction over the crime of aggression against Ukraine and the ability to deal with the personal immunities of the principal perpetrators, beginning with President Vladimir Putin.
Also speaking today were ministers, senior officials and representatives of Malta, Albania, Ecuador, Switzerland, Japan, France, United Kingdom, Ghana, United Arab Emirates, Gabon, Mozambique, Slovakia, Romania, Poland, Germany, Latvia (on behalf of the Nordic and Baltic countries), Republic of Moldova, Netherlands (on behalf of the Group of Friends of Accountability following the aggression against Ukraine), Italy, North Macedonia, Spain, Czech Republic, Croatia and Estonia. The High Representative of the European Union, in its capacity as an observer, also spoke.
Source: UN Security Council