TANZANIA – Ukraine’s president dismissed the notion of peace talks with Moscow on Tuesday, calling instead for unspecified global “action” to force Russia into peace for invading his country and to comply with the U.N. Charter’s requirement that every country respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all other nations.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the U.N. Security Council that Russian President Vladimir Putin is committing “an international crime” and has broken so many international rules that he won’t stop on his own.
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“And that’s why this war can’t simply fade away. That’s why this war can’t be calmed by talks,” Zelenskyy said at a meeting on the sidelines of the annual gathering of world leaders at the General Assembly. “Russia can only be forced into peace, and that is exactly what’s needed — forcing Russia into peace as the sole aggressor in this war, the sole violator of the U.N. Charter.”
The high-level meeting on the more than 2½-year war in Ukraine was attended by ministers from 14 of the council's 15 member nations. Russia chose to send its lower-level U.N. ambassador.
Vassily Nebenzia opened the meeting protesting that Zelenskyy was being given the U.N. spotlight again. He also criticized Slovenia — which holds the rotating council presidency this month — for allowing the Ukrainian leader's "chorus” to speak. He meant about 10 European Union and NATO members who aren’t on the council but march “in lockstep” every time they come to the council “to malign the Russian Federation.”
“When it comes to listening to these hackneyed statements, and these cookie-cutter statements, we have no intention of wasting time on that,” Nebenzia said.
Ukraine's sovereignty is defended
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres briefed the council, reiterating the United Nations’ strong support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity under the U.N. Charter.
“Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 – following the illegal annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and city of Sevastopol a decade ago – is a clear violation of these principles,” the U.N. chief said.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine knows some countries want to talk to Putin. But, he asked, “What could they possibly hear from him — that he’s upset because we are exercising our right to defend our people, or that he wants to keep the war and terror going just so no one thinks he was wrong?”
China has repeatedly called for talks between Ukraine and Russia. Its foreign minister, Wang Yi, told the council that the suffering and destruction and increasing volatility in the region "must be turned around.”
Wang stressed that Chinese President Xi Jinping believes “the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries should be respected.” China is pursuing peace talks and conducting shuttle diplomacy, Wang said, and its efforts have received wide international support. He pointed to a joint China-Brazil peace plan issued earlier this year.
Zelenskyy also went after countries that supply weapons and ammunition to Russia, telling the council Moscow has no legitimate reason to make Iran and North Korea “de facto accomplices.”
The U.S. includes China, Iran and North Korea in its accusations
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken raised similar issues but also accused China, which has close ties to Russia, of providing Russia with machine tools, microelectronics and other items it is using “to rebuild, restock and ramp up its war machine and sustain its brutal war.”
Wang, who spoke after him, didn't directly respond but said: “I also wish to make it clear that on the Ukraine issue, any move to shift responsibility onto China or attack and smear China is irresponsible and will lead nowhere.”
Blinken also accused Iran of providing armed drones to Russia since 2022 and transferring hundreds of short-range ballistic missiles a few weeks ago – which its new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, has denied. North Korea has also delivered trainloads of weapons and ammunition to Russia including ballistic missiles and artillery rounds, Blinken said.
“The more Russia relies on their support, the more Iran and North Korea extract in return,” Blinken said. “And the more Putin gives to Pyongyang and Tehran, the more he exacerbates threats to peace and security.”
To those who ask how the United States and others can help Ukraine defend itself and criticize countries supplying military materiel to Russia, Blinken said the answer is simple: “Russia is the aggressor, Ukraine is the victim.”
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Edith M. Lederer, chief U.N. correspondent for The Associated Press, has covered international affairs for more than 50 years. See more of AP’s coverage of the U.N. General Assembly at https://apnews.com/hub/united-nations