UN Secretary General condemns Russia's attack on Ukraine

 

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned Russia's attack on Ukraine as an "insult" to the world's collective conscience.

He made these comments at a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, two days before the anniversary of the war in Ukraine.

The BBC reported that the meeting was debating a proposal by Ukraine and its allies that Russia would leave the neighboring country immediately and unconditionally.

Ukraine hopes that the UN member states will show solidarity with them by supporting this proposal. Already 60 countries have supported the proposal.

The Kremlin, on the other hand, complains that the West is trying to defeat Russia at any cost.

Russia's ambassador to the United Nations, Vasiliy Nibyenzia, said that the United States and its allies are preparing to plunge the whole world into war.

On February 24, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent nearly 200,000 troops into Ukraine, launching Europe's largest offensive since World War II.

At least 7,199 civilians have been killed and thousands more injured in the devastating war since then, according to UN estimates.

According to the US military, Russia and Ukraine have each suffered at least 100,000 casualties in the war.

More than 1.3 million people have been displaced by the war, either inside Ukraine or as refugees in other countries.

President Putin claimed the operation was necessary to "de-Nazi" and "disarm" Ukraine.

Ukraine, which has historically had close ties to Russia, and its allies have rejected Putin's claims and accused the attack of being unprovoked.

“This attack is an insult to our collective conscience. This is a violation of the UN Charter and international law," Guterres said at the General Assembly meeting.

The possible outcome of an "escalating conflict" is a "clear and present danger," he said.

"This war is fueling regional instability and fueling global tensions and divisions," Guterres said. It also diverts attention and resources from other crises and suppresses global issues.”

He expressed concern and said that due to this war there was an 'indirect threat of using nuclear weapons'.

"This is the perfect time to step back from the (end) end," he said.

"Complacency will only deepen the crisis, further undermining our principles enunciated in the Charter. War is not a solution. War is the problem.

"The people of Ukraine are suffering terribly. Ukrainians, Russians and people beyond need peace too."