UN chief has condemned Russia’s plan to annex Ukrainian territories
Russia’s plan to annex four regions of Ukraine would mark an “alarming escalation” in the war in Ukraine that would jeopardize the prospects of peace, the UN secretary general has warned.
“Any decision of Ukraine to annex the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia regions will have no legal value and will be condemned,” Antonio Guterres told reporters at the United Nations headquarters in New York City on Thursday.
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More than seven months after an invasion of neighboring Ukraine, Russia is set to annex four Ukrainian territories following a referendum last week that was deemed illegitimate by the government in Kyiv and its western allies.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin would sign the merger agreement on Friday.
“I would like to underline that the so-called referendums were conducted during an active armed struggle in the occupation of Russia and outside the legal and constitutional framework of Ukraine. They cannot be called a real expression of the popular will, ”said Guterres. .
He described the planned merger of the regions as having “no place in the modern world”.
“We are fully committed to Ukraine’s sovereignty, unity, independence and territorial integrity within internationally recognized borders,” he urged Russia to de-escalate tensions.
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“Now is the time to step back from the brink” and “end this devastating and senseless war,” he said.
Russia, one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, is committed to upholding the United Nations Charter, which prohibits the threat or use of force and supports the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Thursday accused Russia of a “land grab” and vowed again that the US would never recognize Moscow’s occupation.
“The Kremlin’s proxy referendum is a futile attempt to hide further attempts to seize land in Ukraine,” Blinken said in a statement.
“This scenario of Russian proxies is illegal and violates international law. It is a violation of the principles of international peace and security.”
Reporting from UN Headquarters, Al Jazeera’s James Bay said the UN Security Council would take action, with US representative to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield, leading the effort to introduce a resolution.
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“We are hearing that a meeting has not yet been scheduled, but [the resolution] could be presented on Friday,” Bess said.
According to a statement by Thomas-Greenfield on Tuesday, the resolution would “condemn this pretentious referendum, call on member states not to recognize any changed situation in Ukraine, and call on Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine.” will force it.”
Moscow-established administrations in four regions of southern and eastern Ukraine claimed late Tuesday that voters overwhelmingly supported joining Russia: 93 percent of ballots in the Zaporizhia region supported the merger; As in the Kherson region it was 87 per cent; 98 percent in the Luhansk region; And 99 percent in Donetsk.
Russia has said it sees the attack on Ukraine’s occupied territories as an attack on itself and will use all means to defend it.
Russian government officials also warned that four regions would fall under Moscow’s nuclear umbrella if formally incorporated into Russia.
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UN chief has condemned Russia’s plan to annex Ukrainian territories
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(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DKS express staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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