Sep. 29 () –
The Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, has assured that the annexation of four Ukrainian regions that Russia plans to undertake this Friday “has no place in the modern world” and “cannot be accepted”, because it contravenes both Ukraine’s legal framework and International Law.
Hours after the Kremlin confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin will sign the annexation of the Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia regions this Friday, Guterres has warned that the “supposed referendums” on which this step is based lack of legitimacy.
“They cannot be considered an authentic expression of the citizen’s will,” said Guterres, in a forceful statement to the media in which he recalled that the consultations were carried out in “occupied” areas and in which there is an “active conflict “, outside the Ukrainian regulations.
The head of the UN has pointed out that the United Nations Charter is “clear” about this type of initiative: “Any annexation of the territory of a State by another State as a result of the threat or use of force is a violation of the UN Charter and International Law”.
Russia, as a permanent member of the Security Council, has a “particular responsibility” to respect this text, according to Guterres, who fears an “escalation” if Putin goes ahead with an annexation process that “has no legal value and deserves international condemnation.
The UN maintains its defense of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, within “internationally recognized” borders, and believes that the step Moscow is preparing may further further dim the “peace prospects” for a conflict that Guterres has described as “devastating”, with effects both in the region and throughout the world.
