The UN General Assembly met on Monday as the West condemned the latest attack on Moscow and sought to underscore its isolation, hours after Russia launched a deadly barrage of missile attacks on cities across Ukraine. .
The United Nations has called an emergency meeting to discuss Russia’s declaration of annexation of four parts of partly-occupied Ukraine, while Kyiv and the The discussion was set to be overshadowed by attacks on other cities.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he described the Russian aggression as an “unacceptable escalation of war” as tensions reached a boiling point ahead of the UN General Assembly session.
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“The United States strongly condemns today’s missile strikes across Ukraine by Russia,” he said.
With Putin’s actions in the spotlight, the UN debate begins with a draft resolution condemning what is widely seen in the West as Russia’s illegal occupation of Ukrainian land.
Voting will take place by Wednesday.
A Swedish diplomat told reporters: “Unless the international community, through the UN system and the General Assembly, reacts to this kind of illegal attempt, the international community will be in a very bad situation.”
The draft resolution, seen by AFP, denounced Russia’s “illegal attempt to annex” following the “so-called referendums” of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson in Ukraine, arguing that these actions were “under international law.” It is not effective,” he stressed.
In response to the resolution, Russia has sent letters to all member states, attacking “Western delegations” that “have nothing to do with the protection of international law or the principles of the UN Charter.”
Nevenzia said given the circumstances, the UN General Assembly should vote by secret ballot. This is a highly unusual procedure usually reserved for issues such as the election of rotating members of the Security Council.
A senior Joe Biden administration official told reporters, “If Russia is trying to cover up their vote numbers, they don’t have high confidence in the results.” “It suggests a little despair.”
“It has no place in the modern world. Don’t accept it.”
Some developing nations have complained that the West is all-out for Ukraine, and others may try to join them this week.
On Monday, Ukrainian diplomat Dmitro Kuleva pleaded with African countries to remove their fences.
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https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/latest-news/un-to-take-up-russian-annexations-in-ukraine/news-story/a787620950eb6e6b84a1a2cdd181beab UN to hold meeting after Russia strikes in Ukraine