Russia’s invasion of Ukraine dominates proceedings of the UNGA

By Our Correspondents/Agencies

New York: The Russian invasion of Ukraine has taken center stage at the United Nations General Assembly, with some calling it the beginning of another cold war while Germany and France condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “imperialism”.

Qatar, Senegal, and Turkey have called for immediate peace talks while Lithuania urged the establishment of a war crimes tribunal to punish Moscow’s atrocities.

Standing at the UN rostrum in New York late on Tuesday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said there was “no justification whatsoever” for Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine in February. “This is imperialism, plain and simple,” he said, adding that it spelled disaster not just for Europe, but also for the global, rules-based order.

“If we want this war to end, then we cannot be indifferent to how it ends,” Scholz said. “Putin will only give up his war and his imperialist ambitions if he realises that he cannot win.” Germany, therefore, he pledged, will not accept a peace dictated by Russia and will continue supporting “Ukraine with all our might financially, economically, with humanitarian assistance and also with weapons”.

It is worth noting that the war in Ukraine is now approaching its seventh month.

The conflict has become the largest war in Europe since World War II, with thousands killed and millions forced to flee their homes. The loss of important grain and fertiliser exports from Ukraine and Russia has meanwhile triggered a global food crisis, especially in developing countries.

In two General Assembly votes soon after the Russian invasion, about 140 of the UN’s member nations overwhelmingly deplored Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and called for an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of all Russian forces from Ukrainian territory. But more than 30 countries abstained, including China, India, and South Africa.

French President Emmanuel Macron, in an impassioned speech, said no country should stay neutral about condemning the Russian invasion.

“Those who remain silent today – despite themselves or secretly with a certain complicity – are serving the cause of a new imperialism, a contemporary cynicism that is destroying the world order,” he said, dismissing the narrative that the West was trying to defend outdated values to serve its interests.

“Who here can defend the idea that the invasion of Ukraine justifies no sanction?” he asked. “Who of you here can consider that the day when something similar with a more powerful neighbour happens to you, there’ll be silence from the region, from the world?”

“I call on all the members of this assembly to support us on the path to peace and act to force Russia give up the choice of war so that it realises the cost on itself and us and ends its aggression,” he said. “It’s not about choosing a camp between East and West, but the responsibility of everybody to respect the UN charter.”

Lithuania’s President Gitanas Nauseda meanwhile called on UN member states to create a tribunal to punish alleged Russian war crimes.

“There must be no impunity for the brutal crimes and atrocities committed during the war. Guaranteeing justice and accountability is of vital importance from the standpoint of credibility of the United Nations and the international community,” he said, also urging countries buying Russian oil to end imports and “stop financing this bloody war”.

But some countries expressed unease at having to choose sides.

“I have come to say that Africa has suffered enough of the burden of history; that it does not want to be the breeding ground of a new Cold War, but rather a pole of stability and opportunity open to all its partners, on a mutually beneficial basis,” said Macky Sall, the president of Senegal and the current chairman of the African Union.

“We call for a de-escalation and a cessation of hostilities in Ukraine as well as for a negotiated solution to avoid the catastrophic risk of a potentially global conflict. Negotiations and discussions are the best tools we have to promote peace. I launch an appeal to put together a high-level mediation mission to which the African Union stands ready to contribute.”