Fiery speeches as UNGA begins discussion on Ukraine at rare emergency session

“Enough is enough,” said UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, addressing the UN General Assembly hearing a resolution to condemn Russia’s attack on Ukraine as he called for an immediate cessation of violence and withdrawal of Russia’s military from Ukrainian territory. 

“The fighting in Ukraine must stop,” Mr. Guterres said. “We are facing a tragedy for Ukraine, but also a major regional crisis with potentially disastrous implications for us all.” 

In a reference to the Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to place Russian nuclear weapons on a more elevated alert, and Belarus President Lukashenko’s decision to reverse Belarus’s non-nuclear status, Mr. Guterres said that the “mere idea of a nuclear conflict is simply inconceivable,” adding that, “Nothing can justify the use of nuclear weapons.” 

Shortly after Mr. Guterres spoke, the representatives of Ukraine and Russia sparred at the session, presided over by President of the General Assembly and Maldivian Foreign Minister Abdullah Shahid. Ukraine’s Ambassador to the UN Sergiy Kyslytsya called Russia’s actions and nuclear announcement “madness”, and warned that “if Ukraine does not survive, the United Nations will not survive”.

Speaking next, Russian Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia, alleged that it was Ukraine and not Russia that had begun “these hostilities”, claiming that the Ukrainian government had planted the “roots of the crisis” and hadn’t implemented the Minsk agreement of 2015.

The resolution on Ukraine, which is being heard at the Eleventh Emergency Special session of the UNGA, was mandated by the UN Security Council, after a US-led effort to criticise Russia at the UNSC in resolution 8979 was vetoed by the Russian representative. India, along with China and the United Arab Emirates had abstained from that vote. 

India is widely expected to also abstain from the resolution at the UNGA, which is a considerably tougher and lengthier version of UNSC 8979, although officials said they would take a final call based on the text. India may however, be more inclined to support another resolution due to be discussed at the UNSC on Monday night which is being sponsored by France and Mexico on ensuring humanitarian access for civilians and refugees, the officials said. The government has said that the safety of Indian citizens fleeing the violence in Ukraine is its “top most” priority.