UN Secretary-General António Guterres has condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as an “affront to our collective conscience” as the 193-member General Assembly meets ahead of a vote the US said would “go down in history”.
In a speech Wednesday during a special session of the General Assembly, Guterres called the anniversary of the Moscow attack “a somber milestone for the people of Ukraine and for the international community.”
As fighting raged in Ukraine, the General Assembly debated a motion backed by Kiev and its allies calling for a “just and lasting peace”.
Although the measure was not as harsh as Ukraine had called for, Kyiv hoped a large majority of UN states would back the non-binding resolution to show it has the support of the world community.
US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the resolution called on member states to support diplomacy and a comprehensive and lasting peace in Ukraine.
“This vote will go down in history. We will see where all nations stand in terms of peace in Ukraine,” she said.
Some 60 countries have backed the resolution, which “emphasizes the need to achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine as soon as possible, in accordance with the principles of the United Nations Charter.”
It reaffirmed the “UN commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine” and called for an immediate cessation of hostilities.
It also calls on Russia to “immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its armed forces from the territory of Ukraine.”
In his opening speech, Guterres highlighted the impact of the Russian invasion on the world. He noted that it has spawned eight million refugees and damaged global food and energy supplies in countries far from the war zone.
With the new resolution, Kyiv hopes to garner support from at least as many countries as it did in October, when 143 countries voted to condemn Russia’s declared annexation of several Ukrainian territories.
China, India and more than 30 other countries have abstained in previous UN votes in support of Ukraine.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told delegates they were facing a “crucial moment”.
“Never in recent history has the line between good and evil been so clear. A country just wants to live. The other wants to kill and destroy,” he said.
More than 80 countries are expected to address the General Assembly, which is expected to vote on the draft resolution on Ukraine on Thursday or Friday.
As the debate opened, Russia’s UN envoy Vasily Nebenzia called Ukraine “neo-Nazi” and accused the West of sacrificing the country and developing countries in their desire to defeat Russia.
“They are ready to plunge the whole world into the abyss of war,” Nebenzia said, adding that the US and its allies wanted to consolidate their own “hegemony.”
But that was rejected by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.
“I want to emphasize: this war is not a ‘European affair’. It’s not about ‘West vs. Russia’ either,” Borrell told the General Assembly.
“No, this illegal war affects everyone: the North, the South, the East and the West,” he said.
The General Assembly was the focus of UN action in Ukraine, with the 15-member Security Council paralyzed by the veto power Russia exercised as a permanent member alongside the United States, China, France and Britain.
The Security Council has held dozens of meetings on Ukraine over the past year and will discuss the war again on Friday at a ministerial meeting attended by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Diplomats say Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will not attend.
Agence France-Presse and Portal contributed to this report