[…] As Council members took the floor to discuss the situation in Ukraine, many speakers expressed deep concern that, despite overwhelming calls on the Russian Federation to end its war in the country, the pleas continue to fall on deaf ears.
The United States’ representative noted that the Kremlin was working with Iran to produce unmanned aerial vehicles inside the Russian Federation and using such vehicles on Ukrainian infrastructure and civilians. Questioning why experts have not been dispatched to Ukraine to review evidence of such weapons’ origins, she also stressed that all efforts to broker peace must be rooted in the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inherent right to self-defence. “All of us here would insist on the same if we were in Ukraine’s place,” she emphasized. […]
Norberto Moretti (Brazil) expressed concern over risks to the integrity of nuclear facilities in Zaporizhzhia, especially after the rupture of the Kakhovka Dam. Underscoring that avoiding damage to the nuclear power plant is an imperative, he urged the parties to collaborate to ensure the supply of water for cooling reactors and spent fuel. He also echoed the call for Russian Federation authorities to facilitate access to areas under their control, as thousands on both sides of the Dnipro depend on United Nations humanitarian assistance. Noting the multiplying international voices in favour of an immediate cessation of hostilities, he underlined the adverse impacts this conflict has on third countries — including those in Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean. Sustainable peace, he underscored, “cannot result from the imposition of unilateral terms, under the coercion of arms, on either side”. Urging the parties to avoid entrenching in their positions, he emphasized that the policy of isolation and imposition of unilateral sanctions has already demonstrated its limits.
Ging Shuang (China) said that every effort must be made to prevent the situation from spiralling out of control. The destruction of the Kakhovka Dam “reminds us that if the fighting is left to drag there will only be more major risks and any horrible scenario could materialize”. Both parties to the conflict must stay calm and the international community must refrain from escalating tensions. “Everything must be done to avoid the point of no return,” he stressed. Further, he said that China is worried about the impact of the Ukrainian crisis on the recovery of the global economy and on the attainment by developing countries of the Sustainable Development Goals in the post-pandemic era. The Black Sea Grain Initiative must be implemented, he emphasized, expressing hope that countries that love peace and uphold justice will send rational messages in promotion of peace talks. “The door to the political settlement to the Ukrainian crisis must not close,” he added. Läs referatet