Emergency UN General Assembly Session Presses Russia To End War With Ukraine
Ukrainian Ambassador Serhiy Kyslytsya told the session that "if Ukraine does not survive...international peace will not survive."
Ambassadors from dozens of countries have backed a proposed UN resolution reportedly demanding that Russia immediately stop its war in Ukraine, withdraw its troops, and immediately seek a peaceful resolution.
The session of the UN General Assembly that began on February 28 was the first emergency sitting of the 193-member body in more than two decades and just the seventh in the United Nation's 77-year history.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said after the session began with a minute of silence for the victims of the war that "the fighting in Ukraine must stop" and warned that the bloody fighting that has led more than 500,000 Ukrainians to flee across the country's borders could have dire consequences for the world at large.
"Enough is enough. Soldiers need to move back to their barracks. Leaders need to move to peace. Civilians must be protected," Guterres said.
Ukrainian Ambassador Serhiy Kyslytsya told the session that "if Ukraine does not survive...international peace will not survive."
"Have no illusions," Kyslytsya added. "We cannot be surprised if democracy fails next."
Earlier this week, a similar resolution was vetoed in the UN Security Council by Russia, which considers its invasion of Ukraine a "special military operation" launched to defend ethnic Russian residents of regions in eastern Ukraine.
Moscow-backed separatists have been fighting against Kyiv's forces in Ukraine's eastern regions of Luhansk and Donetsk since 2014.
Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenziya argued in the session that "Russian actions are being distorted and thwarted."
The extraordinary meeting came the same day that the United States expelled 12 members of Russia's diplomatic mission to the United Nations for alleged espionage.
Nebenziya called the expulsions a "gross violation" of the UN agreement with the United States as the host of the United Nations and a violation of the Vienna Convention governing diplomatic relations.
Death, Destruction As Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine Enters Day Six
1/19People remove debris on March 1 outside the regional administration building in Kharkiv, which city officials said was hit by a missile attack.
The Russian war in Ukraine has entered a sixth day, with reports that the Russian Army had set up checkpoints on the outskirts of the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, a huge military convoy was massing outside Kyiv, and claims that Russian forces aim to encircle the port city of Mariupol on March 1.
2/19The area near the regional administration building in Kharkiv, which city officials said was hit by a missile attack.
The Russian war in Ukraine has entered a sixth day, with reports that the Russian Army had set up checkpoints on the outskirts of the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, a huge military convoy was massing outside Kyiv, and claims that Russian forces aim to encircle the port city of Mariupol on March 1.
3/19Rescuers are seen in a building in Kharkiv that city officials said was damaged by a Russian missile on March 1.
The Russian war in Ukraine has entered a sixth day, with reports that the Russian Army had set up checkpoints on the outskirts of the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, a huge military convoy was massing outside Kyiv, and claims that Russian forces aim to encircle the port city of Mariupol on March 1.
4/19An armed man is seen inside the damaged local city hall of Kharkiv on March 1, destroyed as a result of Russian shelling.
The Russian war in Ukraine has entered a sixth day, with reports that the Russian Army had set up checkpoints on the outskirts of the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, a huge military convoy was massing outside Kyiv, and claims that Russian forces aim to encircle the port city of Mariupol on March 1.
5/19Ukrainian service members stand guard outside the regional administration building in Kharkiv, which city officials said was hit by a missile attack, on March 1.
The Russian war in Ukraine has entered a sixth day, with reports that the Russian Army had set up checkpoints on the outskirts of the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, a huge military convoy was massing outside Kyiv, and claims that Russian forces aim to encircle the port city of Mariupol on March 1.
6/19Several destroyed vehicles between Irpin and Hostomel in the Kyiv region on February 28.
The Russian war in Ukraine has entered a sixth day, with reports that the Russian Army had set up checkpoints on the outskirts of the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, a huge military convoy was massing outside Kyiv, and claims that Russian forces aim to encircle the port city of Mariupol on March 1.
7/19An ambulance is seen through the damaged window of a vehicle hit by bullets in Kyiv on February 28.
The Russian war in Ukraine has entered a sixth day, with reports that the Russian Army had set up checkpoints on the outskirts of the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, a huge military convoy was massing outside Kyiv, and claims that Russian forces aim to encircle the port city of Mariupol on March 1.
8/19More than 70 Ukrainian servicemen were killed when Russian troops shelled a military base in the town of Okhtyrka, located between Kharkiv and Kyiv, on February 28.
The Russian war in Ukraine has entered a sixth day, with reports that the Russian Army had set up checkpoints on the outskirts of the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, a huge military convoy was massing outside Kyiv, and claims that Russian forces aim to encircle the port city of Mariupol on March 1.
9/19A destroyed bridge near the town of Bucha in the Kyiv region on February 28.
The Russian war in Ukraine has entered a sixth day, with reports that the Russian Army had set up checkpoints on the outskirts of the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, a huge military convoy was massing outside Kyiv, and claims that Russian forces aim to encircle the port city of Mariupol on March 1.
10/19An area near the regional administration building in Kharkiv, which city officials said was hit by a Russian missile attack on March 1.
The Russian war in Ukraine has entered a sixth day, with reports that the Russian Army had set up checkpoints on the outskirts of the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, a huge military convoy was massing outside Kyiv, and claims that Russian forces aim to encircle the port city of Mariupol on March 1.
11/19A destroyed Ukrainian armoured personnel carrier is seen in front of a school which, according to local residents, was on fire after Russian shelling, on February 28.
The Russian war in Ukraine has entered a sixth day, with reports that the Russian Army had set up checkpoints on the outskirts of the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, a huge military convoy was massing outside Kyiv, and claims that Russian forces aim to encircle the port city of Mariupol on March 1.
12/19The square outside the headquarters of the Kharkiv administration after it was shelled on March 1.
The Russian war in Ukraine has entered a sixth day, with reports that the Russian Army had set up checkpoints on the outskirts of the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, a huge military convoy was massing outside Kyiv, and claims that Russian forces aim to encircle the port city of Mariupol on March 1.
13/19A view of cars destroyed by shelling on the outskirts of Kyiv on February 28.
The Russian war in Ukraine has entered a sixth day, with reports that the Russian Army had set up checkpoints on the outskirts of the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, a huge military convoy was massing outside Kyiv, and claims that Russian forces aim to encircle the port city of Mariupol on March 1.
14/19Kateryna Suharokova kisses her newborn son Makar in the basement of a maternity hospital converted into a medical ward and used as a bomb shelter in Mariupol on February 28.
The Russian war in Ukraine has entered a sixth day, with reports that the Russian Army had set up checkpoints on the outskirts of the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, a huge military convoy was massing outside Kyiv, and claims that Russian forces aim to encircle the port city of Mariupol on March 1.
15/19A child being treated for leukemia hugs his father as they walk along the hallways in the basement of Okhmadet Children's Hospital in Kyiv.
The Russian war in Ukraine has entered a sixth day, with reports that the Russian Army had set up checkpoints on the outskirts of the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, a huge military convoy was massing outside Kyiv, and claims that Russian forces aim to encircle the port city of Mariupol on March 1.
16/19Nurses, family, and patients seek shelter in the basement of Okhmadet Children's Hospital in Kyiv.
The Russian war in Ukraine has entered a sixth day, with reports that the Russian Army had set up checkpoints on the outskirts of the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, a huge military convoy was massing outside Kyiv, and claims that Russian forces aim to encircle the port city of Mariupol on March 1.
17/19Ukrainian volunteers tear cloth into strips to make camouflage nets in Lviv on February 28.
The Russian war in Ukraine has entered a sixth day, with reports that the Russian Army had set up checkpoints on the outskirts of the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, a huge military convoy was massing outside Kyiv, and claims that Russian forces aim to encircle the port city of Mariupol on March 1.
18/19A man says goodbye to his daughter before she boards an evacuation train at Kyiv central train station on February 28.
The Russian war in Ukraine has entered a sixth day, with reports that the Russian Army had set up checkpoints on the outskirts of the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, a huge military convoy was massing outside Kyiv, and claims that Russian forces aim to encircle the port city of Mariupol on March 1.
19/19A child sits on a suitcase waiting to board a Lviv-bound train in Kyiv on February 28.
The Russian war in Ukraine has entered a sixth day, with reports that the Russian Army had set up checkpoints on the outskirts of the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, a huge military convoy was massing outside Kyiv, and claims that Russian forces aim to encircle the port city of Mariupol on March 1.
Previous slide
Next slide
Nebenziya described the expulsion as a "hostile move" and said Moscow "totally rejected" Washington's claims that the diplomats were engaged in spying activities that harmed U.S. security.
The wording of the nonbinding resolution before the General Assembly was reportedly watered down to try to attract maximum support. It no longer "condemns" in the strongest terms Russia's aggression but "deplores" it. But should the resolution pass by a majority vote, it would widely be taken as condemnation of Russia's military actions in Ukraine.
Backers of the resolution hope for at least 100 votes in favor. Countries including Syria, China, Cuba, and India are expected to either support Russia or abstain.
During the February 28 session, Syrian Ambassador Bassam Sabbagh accused the West of having a double standard in calling an emergency session on the Ukraine crisis but not during "successive crises and major challenges that have confronted the international community for decades."
Indian Ambassador T.S. Tirumurti called for an immediate cessation of the hostilities in Ukraine, saying that there was "no other choice but to return to the path of diplomacy."
The General Assembly will reconvene on the morning of March 1 to continue its emergency special session.
Meanwhile, several diplomats, including from the United States, European Union, and the United Kingdom walked out of a session of the UN Human Rights Council in protest after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov began a speech via video link.
Several media outlets with reporters present at the meeting in Geneva on March 1 said the boycott started when Lavrov's prerecorded video message began playing.
The walkout was similar to a boycott of a speech he gave at the Conference on Disarmament last week.
RFE/RL journalists report the news in 24 languages in 18 countries where a free press is banned by the government or not fully established. We provide what many people cannot get locally: uncensored news, responsible discussion, and open debate.
