Russia came under heavy criticism at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Tuesday over deadly strikes in Ukraine the previous day, particularly on hospitals, with a senior UN official calling them a “war crime”.
The meeting coincides with the NATO summit in Washington for the 75th anniversary of the Atlantic Alliance. The United States, Ukraine’s main ally, plans to use this occasion to increase its anti-aircraft defense capabilities against Russian attacks.
The United Nations Security Council, of which Russia currently holds the rotating presidency, is holding an emergency meeting on Tuesday at the request of kyiv, following these strikes which have left at least 38 dead in the country, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“Intentionally launching attacks against a protected hospital [par le droit international, NDLR] “This is a war crime for which the perpetrators must be held accountable,” said UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Joyce Msuya.
She expressed alarm at a “worrying trend of systematic attacks on health centres and other civilian infrastructure across Ukraine”.
Ukrainian Ambassador to the United Nations Sergiy Kyslytsya accused Russia of “deliberately targeting those who are perhaps the most vulnerable population in any society,” showing what he said was evidence of a Russian cruise missile being fired at the children’s hospital hit on Monday.
Russia, for its part, reaffirmed that the hospital had been hit by a Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile.
“If it had been a Russian strike, nothing would have remained of the building and all the children and most of the adults would have been killed and not injured,” said its ambassador to the UN, Vassili Nebenzia, denouncing a “propaganda campaign from kyiv.”
“War of aggression”
The UN, however, considered it “highly probable” that the hospital was hit by “a direct hit” from a Russian missile.
“Yesterday’s attack shows very clearly that [le président Vladimir] “Putin is not interested in peace. He is interested in sowing death and destruction to continue his war of aggression,” said US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
His French counterpart Nicolas de Rivière “condemned these flagrant violations of international law” which add to the “list of war crimes for which Russia will have to answer”. British representative Barbara Woodward castigated the “cowardice” of the Russian attacks.
China, another permanent member of the Security Council, reiterated its call for negotiations to end the conflict. Its representative Fu Cong urged Russia and Ukraine to “show political will to take a step toward each other to start peace talks as soon as possible.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday condemned the Russian strikes in Ukraine, which he described as “particularly shocking.”
“Carrying out attacks against civilians is prohibited under international law, and these types of attacks are unacceptable and must stop immediately,” his spokesperson said in a statement, citing the two medical centers affected.
kyiv is particularly demanding anti-aircraft defense systems, including Patriot surface-to-air batteries, which are particularly effective against ballistic missiles. Russian strikes have already caused dozens of deaths and destroyed half of Ukraine’s energy capacities.