“Once again the Russians are showing their contempt for human life, this time they are adding the contempt they have for the United Nations”declared on franceinfo Jean-Maurice Ripert, former ambassador of France in Russia, after bombardments in kyiv on the evening of Thursday April 28, in full visit of the secretary general of the UN in the Ukrainian capital.
>> War in Ukraine: what to remember from Thursday, April 28
“It never tires of worrying that Putin is determined to continue”, he also worried. He hopes this will cause a “raising awareness among leaders who did not dare to condemn Russian aggression”.
franceinfo: What was your reaction after these bombardments on kyiv?
Jean-Maurice Ripert: First of all, I feel sadness, and especially for the civilians who receive Russian bombs every day. The act speaks for itself. Once again the Russians show the contempt they have for human life, this time they add the contempt they have for the United Nations. We could already feel it in this somewhat sad press conference given by the Secretary General of the United Nations with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, while at the same time President Putin was holding a press conference to congratulate Russian athletes.
All of this shows Russia’s absolute contempt for international law, for the United Nations Charter. And it does not tire of worrying that Putin is determined to continue. Moreover, this strike on civilians comes as Antonio Guterres’ visit was based on the request for cooperation with the International Criminal Court to denounce and judge war crimes committed against civilians by the Russian army. The message is clear, Russia will not cooperate.
Should we fear a new escalation?
The worst is never certain. Russia sends contradictory signals every day, claims to want to negotiate while continuing its bombardments, claims to want to stop while destabilizing Moldavian Transnistria. Everything is done so that confusion reigns. I don’t know what Russians believe, but Ukraine will live, if President Putin hasn’t figured it out yet. We do not know very well what consequences he will draw from this observation that he has failed in his attempt to destroy Ukraine militarily.
What consequences can be expected in the international community after such acts?
I hope that this will raise awareness, particularly among the leaders who until now have not dared to condemn Russian aggression in Ukraine at the United Nations. There are 140 countries that have condemned Russian aggression out of 192 member states. I hope that those who have not yet done so will understand that we have to choose not only between Russia and Ukraine, but between Russia and democracy, human rights and perhaps tomorrow between Russia and the United Nations.
Can we still hope for a humanitarian solution for the civilians who are still blocked?
We must always hope that we can find solutions to open humanitarian corridors, especially for the remaining civilians in Mariupol. For the moment, it has always failed because of the Russian refusal. The Russians carry out forced evacuations, they deport Ukrainian citizens to Russia. They are not humanitarian corridors in the sense of international law, where civilians can choose where they want to go. Let’s hope that after today’s psychodrama, the Russians will come to their senses.