(United Nations) The Secretary General of the UN, Antonio Guterres, launched a fervent appeal to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday evening, urging him to recall his troops and immediately “stop” the attack launched against Ukraine.
Updated at 0:59
“President Putin, in the name of humanity, bring your troops back to Russia! “Launched the head of the United Nations, visibly shaken by the announcement of a Russian military operation in Ukraine in the middle of the emergency session held by the Security Council.
“This is the saddest moment of my tenure as UN Secretary General,” he added.
“In the name of humanity, let us not allow the outbreak in Europe of what could be the worst war since the beginning of the century”, insisted Antonio Guterres.
Earlier, when the emergency meeting of the Council devoted to the crisis had just opened, the Russian president had announced during a surprise speech on television that he had “decided on a military operation” in Ukraine.
According to Antonio Guterres, this conflict could have “devastating consequences for Ukraine, for Russia”, and unpredictable for the world economy already strongly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
If the conflict “leads to all-out war, it is difficult to predict how dramatic it will be, in terms of how many people will die, how many people will be displaced, how many people will lose hope for the future “, argued the UN Secretary General.
Shortly after Mr. Putin’s speech, explosions were heard in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, and several other cities.
Weeks of diplomatic pressure and threats of sanctions from the West did nothing: Russia, which had massed 150,000 to 200,000 soldiers along the borders of Ukraine, ended up launching the offensive.
The United States has indicated that it will table a draft resolution on the table of the UN Security Council on Thursday condemning Russia for its “war” in Ukraine, with a vote expected on Friday.
“The Council will have to act”, launched the American ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
The emergency meeting of the Security Council was the scene of a tense exchange between Russian and Ukrainian diplomats.
“There is no purgatory for war criminals. They’re going straight to hell, ambassador,” Ukraine’s UN ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya told his Russian counterpart.
“We are not aggressive towards the Ukrainian people, but towards the junta in power in Kiev”, replied Vassily Nebenzia.