The Special Emergency Session of the UN General Assembly (GA) began with the approval of the Albanian proposal – 107 in favor, 13 against, 39 abstentions – against the Russian request for a secret ballot. This call has been criticized for its likelihood of establishing a “dangerous precedent” on a question of international peace and security as delicate and substantial as the Russo-Ukrainian one.
Later, GA President Csaba Kőrösi declared the recent annexation of four Ukrainian regions by Russia unlawful, condemning this action as a violation of international law. In addition, he stressed the importance of finding a political solution based on the UN Charter. He also enhanced the politics of international cooperation and humanitarian aid by mentioning the Black Sea Grain Initiative drawn up by the UN Secretary General António Guterres.
However, the meeting also became a place of criticism and accusations. The ambassador of Ukraine Sergiy Kyslytsya talked about how the lives of many Ukrainian families, including his own, were endangered by large-scale airstrikes launched by the Russian authorities. In support of this, he reported that around 84 missiles and two dozen drones deliberately targeted both civilians and civilian infrastructure. The Ukrainian ambassador accused Russia of being a “terrorist State” since its President Putin decided to target Ukrainian citizens because of Ukraine’s various victories on the battlefield. For this reason, he stressed the importance of defending the UN Charter and voting for the draft resolution.
On the other hand, the Russian ambassador Vassily Nebenzya labeled the Albanian resolution as “unprecedented manipulation” and, in particular, a violation of procedural rules. Labelling the Ukrainian attack on the Crimea land bridge as “terrorist”, he accused the international institution of having become the focal point of a “dangerous polarization”. Indeed, he claimed that the war in Ukraine has been monopolized by the West in order to undermine Russian power and facilitate the testing of weapons by the NATO alliance.
To read more, please visit:
- https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/22/russia-nuclear-threats-totally-unacceptable-says-un-chief-antonio-guterres
- https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/9/26/un-chief-urges-end-to-era-of-nuclear-blackmail
- https://greenreport.it/news/geopolitica/onu-qualsiasi-minaccia-di-usare-armi-nucleari-deve-essere-universalmente-condannata/
- https://lavocedinewyork.com/onu/2022/10/10/lassemblea-generale-onu-e-la-risoluzione-contro-le-violazioni-russe-della-carta/
by Alessia Bertola
