Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy told the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday that the war between Russia and Ukraine cannot be calmed by talks alone, but that Moscow must be forced into peace.
Mr Zelenskiy has sought the support of western leaders for what he calls a “victory plan” to end the war that began when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of his country in February 2022.
Mr Zelenskiy said the war would end one day but not because “someone got tired of the war” or through a trade with Russian president Vladimir Putin, a reference to proposals that Ukraine cede some territory seized by Russia to settle the conflict.
“This war can’t be calmed by talks. Action is needed,” Mr Zelenskiy said, thanking nations who have provided Ukraine support.
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“Putin has broken so many international norms and rules that he won’t stop on his own, Russia can only be forced into peace, and that is exactly what’s needed, forcing Russia into peace, as the sole aggressor in this war, the sole violator of the UN charter,” Zelenskiy said.
Mr Zelenskiy took aim at North Korea and Iran for providing arms to Russia for the war, calling them “de facto accomplices” of Moscow.
Ukraine faces an uncertain future. A victory by former president Donald Trump over vice-president Kamala Harris in the November 5th US election could prompt a reset of Washington’s policy on Ukraine, which relies heavily on U.S. military and financial support. Opinion polls show a tight US race.
More than 2-1/2 years since the invasion, Russia controls about 20 per cent of Ukrainian territory and has been advancing in the east.
Mr Zelenskiy has said that if his plan is backed by the West, it will have a broad impact on Moscow, including a psychological one that could help compel Putin to end the war diplomatically.
Mr Zelenskiy has said very little so far about his victory plan except that it would act as a bridge to a second Ukraine-led summit on peace that Kyiv wants to hold and invite Russia to later this year.
Russian UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia spoke up at the meeting to reject the 15-member council’s hosting of Mr Zelenskiy.
“Western countries could not refrain from poisoning the atmosphere once again, trying to fill the air time with the hackneyed Ukrainian issue,” Mr Nebenzia said of the meeting.
The top diplomats of China and the United States also clashed in the meeting.
“North Korea and Iran are not the only ones aiding and abetting Russia,” US secretary of state Antony Blinken told the council. “China – another permanent member of this council – is the top provider of machine tools, microelectronics and other items that Russia is using to rebuild, to restock, to ramp up its war machine and sustain its brutal aggression.”
China’s foreign minister Wang Yi rejected US accusations that Beijing’s support for Russia was allowing it to continue its war in Ukraine.
“I wish to make it clear that on the Ukraine issue, any move to shift responsibility on to China, or attack and smear China, is irresponsible and will lead nowhere,” he told the council.
[ Ukraine facing ‘decisive’ months in war as it seeks more US supportOpens in new window ]
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian air force said on Wednesday it shot down 28 out of 32 drones and four out of eight missiles during an overnight Russian attack.
The air force said Russia launched four missiles at the southern region of Odesa. Its regional governor, Oleh Kiper, said a missile hit an open area and caused a fire which had since been put out.
The debris also damaged two trucks without causing any casualties, Mr Kiper said via the Telegram messaging app.
Kyiv regional governor Ruslan Kravchenko said a drone attack on the region did not deal any damage to critical or residential infrastructure.
Attacks on the northeastern region of Kharkiv in the early hours of Wednesday damaged a hangar.
Tuesday’s guided bomb attack on the city of Kharkiv killed three people and injured 36 more, the regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said via the Telegram messaging app.
Russia denies targeting civilians, although it has killed thousands during more than 2-1/2 years of the full-scale invasion. – Reuters
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