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In a speech delivered on Wednesday in kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, the General secretary he assured President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that the United Nations “will continue to seek solutions and a just peace for the people of Ukraine, and for the world.”
António Guterres expressed his “deep solidarity” with all those who have become victims of the large-scale Russian invasion of February last year.
Violation of the Charter
“The position of the United Nations, which I have consistently expressed, is crystal clear: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a violation of the UN Charter and international law,” the UN chief declared.
He reiterated once again that Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence and integrity must be maintained within its recognized international borders, established with independence in 1991, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Until a just peace can be reached, he said that the UN will continue to work hard to mitigate the impacts of a war “which has caused enormous suffering to the Ukrainian people, with profound global implications.”
The UN will continue to help
The Secretary General noted that the UN had been on the ground throughout the invasion, helping millions of people.
“I want to express my deep solidarity with all the victims of the war. To those who have lost their lives and their loved ones. To those who have seen their hopes dashed or have had to flee in search of survival. To all of them a surrender is owed of effective accounts”, affirmed the head of the UN.
He then reviewed some of the key moments where the UN had intervened to help save lives, such as the evacuation of civilians from the Azovstal steel plant in the destroyed city of Mariupol last year, and even averting a possible nuclear disaster.
He International Atomic Energy AgencyThe IAEA has “fully mobilized to try to preserve the safety and security of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants, including the one in Zaporiya,” Guterres said.
23 million tons of cereals
The Black Sea Grain Initiative, proposed by the Secretary General and launched following the agreement between Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the UN last July, has already facilitated the export of 23 million tons of grain from the ports ukrainians.
Agreement expires in less than two weekshaving been extended last November, when a breakthrough was made to increase the flow of Russian fertilizers held up in European ports
The Initiative, managed by a Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul, has contributed to lowering the global cost of food and has provided “critical relief to people, who are also paying a heavy price for this war, particularly in the developing world,” Guterres said.
He reiterated that Ukraine’s exports, as well as Russian food and fertilizer, are essential for food security and world prices. He said it was critical that the initiative continue beyond the expiration of this month.
Regarding the Zaporiya nuclear power plant, Guterres said that it was important to facilitate mediation to seek the total demilitarization of the area, while ensuring that the plant returns to normal operation: “The United Nations is ready to offer its good offices” .
Solution Support
At the same time, he added, “we will continue to support solutions to humanitarian problems wherever possible on all frontsas a significant extension of the current POW exchange until it is completed.”
Recent footage of an apparently summarily murdered Ukrainian soldier was a “shocking” and “tragic reminder that the laws of war must be strictly adhered to“added the UN chief.
