The United Nations stands with the people of Ukraine, including more than 500,000 who crossed the country’s borders fleeing relentless attacks by Russian forces, Secretary-General António Guterres told an emergency special session of the General Assembly today, warning of potentially dire consequences for the world at large.
Dozens of delegates from among the Assembly’s 193 Member States took part in the historic session, which is just the eleventh such meeting in the United Nations 77-year history. Many speakers warned that, amid the first full-scale international aggression in Europe since the end of the Second World War, the very future of the rules-based world order now hangs in the balance.
“Enough is enough,” said Mr. Guterres, adding: “The fighting in Ukraine must stop now.” Noting that bombardments by the Russian Federation have been pounding the country day and night, he said the capital, Kyiv, now finds itself surrounded. Ukrainians have been forced to shelter in subway stations and more than half a million have fled across the country’s borders. Citing credible accounts of serious damage sustained by residential buildings and other non-military infrastructure, he described the attacks as unacceptable and stressed that Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected. […]
Throughout the debate, many delegates voiced their views on a draft resolution to be taken up by the Assembly later this week, which is similar to the text which was vetoed by the Russian Federation in the Security Council. Should the resolution pass by a majority vote, it is widely expected to condemn the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine. […]
The representative of France declared that abstaining in the Assembly’s upcoming vote is “not an option”. In taking up that text, the Assembly has a historic responsibility to call for an end to war and for the Russian Federation to remove its troops from Ukraine, he said, calling on all Member States to vote in favour of the proposed draft. Emphasizing that no country can or should avert their gaze from the armed aggression and those who are seeking refuge, he went on to note that the Assembly’s special session does not imply that the Security Council has renounced its responsibilities. In fact, the 15-member Council will meet this afternoon to take up a draft resolution on the humanitarian impacts of the crisis. Läs referatet