Sustainable peace in Ukraine possible only in line with UN Charter - Borrell
That’s according to the EU High Representative, Josep Borrell, who addressed the UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
"We need a peace grounded in the principles of the United Nations Charter, that is why we are [here] in this very hall. This is what the resolution – presented by Ukraine – is about.(...) I want to stress it: this war against Ukraine is not “a European issue”. It is not about “the West versus Russia. No, this illegal war concerns everyone: the North, the South, the East, the West. The whole world. We are here today to reiterate our support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and its territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, as for any member of the United Nations," Borrell emphasized.
He recalled that this week marks a year since Russia, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, launched a criminal invasion of Ukraine in a gross violation of international law and basic principles of the UN Charter.
"Sovereignty. Territorial integrity: these are the principles that Russia is attacking in Ukraine, every day. These are also the principles we have to uphold everywhere, every day. If we do not condemn and stop Russia’s actions in Ukraine today, this will increase the risk for any other country, elsewhere in the world, to face a similar aggression. No one can feel safe in a world where the illegal use of force would be normalized," the politician added.
He noted that Article 51 of the UN Charter gives Ukraine an inalienable right to defend itself, like any other member of the UN. Ukraine has the right to defend itself and its population against daily attacks and shelling by the Russian army. The European Union supports President Zelensky's peace formula, and will try to ensure the widest possible international support for the draft resolution presented by Ukraine, as this document paves the way to sustainable and lasting peace, according to Borrell.
"The European Union has always been a peace project. We have been quite successful in bringing peace to the European continent and promoting it around the world. It is central to our DNA; it is in our origin. And when it comes to Ukraine, the real questions today are: what kind of peace? Yes, peace, but what kind of peace? Yes, end the war: how do we end the war? How to achieve this peace? The first obvious step for peace is for Russia to stop its attacks and [it] must end all hostilities and withdraw its forces and military equipment from Ukrainian soil. And it must do it immediately, completely and unconditionally," the EU High Representative emphasized.
He noted that, until Russia stops its aggression, the European Union will continue to provide assistance to Ukraine in its self-defense needs, which is also in line with the principles of the UN Charter. The EU will keep providing Ukraine with humanitarian and financial assistance, and will work to hold Russia accountable for its actions and war crimes committed in Ukraine.
Borrell welcomed the efforts of the UN Secretary General toward a peaceful settlement in Ukraine and emphasized that international support for Ukraine's right to self-defense and efforts to find lasting peace are not incompatible – on the contrary, they complement and strengthen each other. In this context, the High Representative of the EU noted that the draft resolution on the peaceful settlement in Ukraine had been developed with full transparency and inclusiveness, and thanked the UN member states for the additions and amendments. These opinions, which were made in a spirit of goodwill, were taken into account and significantly strengthened the draft resolution.
At the same time, the High Representative of the EU resolutely rejected the attempt of Belarus officials to distort the presented document by introducing manipulative amendments that ignore the facts on the ground and do not reflect Russia's unjustified and unprovoked aggression against Ukraine.
"These amendments are not made in good faith... We will vote against these amendments and call on all United Nations member states to do the same and to support the draft resolution tabled by Ukraine," Borrell said.
He recalled the words of the UN Secretary General that today the world needs peace, but such peace must be in accordance with the UN Charter and international law. The time has come for every member of the UN to cast their vote in favor of the corresponding resolution.
As reported, on February 24, the UN General Assembly will hold a vote on the draft resolution, which emphasizes the need to achieve a comprehensive, just, and sustainable peace in Ukraine as soon as possible. The vote will be preceded by two days of speeches by dozens of UN member states.
