U.N. Denounces Russia’s Ukraine Invasion

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has taken center stage at the United Nations General Assembly, with Germany and France condemning Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “imperialism”, Qatar, Senegal, and Turkey calling for immediate peace talks, and Lithuania urging the establishment of a war crimes tribunal to punish Moscow’s atrocities.

Standing at the UN rostrum in New York late on Tuesday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said there was “no justification whatsoever” for Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine in February. “This is imperialism, plain and simple,” he said, adding that it spelled disaster not just for Europe, but also for the global, rules-based order.

“If we want this war to end, then we cannot be indifferent to how it ends,” Scholz said. “Putin will only give up his war and his imperialist ambitions if he realizes that he cannot win.” Germany, therefore, he pledged, will not accept a peace dictated by Russia and will continue supporting “Ukraine with all our might financially, economically, with humanitarian assistance and also with weapons”.

The war in Ukraine is now approaching its seventh month.

The conflict has become the largest war in Europe since World War II, with thousands killed and millions forced to flee their homes. The loss of important grain and fertilizer exports from Ukraine and Russia has meanwhile triggered a global food crisis, especially in developing countries.

In two General Assembly votes soon after the Russian invasion, about 140 of the UN’s member nations overwhelmingly deplored Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and called for an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of all Russian forces from Ukrainian territory. But more than 30 countries abstained, including China, India, and South Africa.

Agencies