With the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, sitting in the iconic camera after arriving to participate in the UN week of the UN, the secretary general looked back to February when the council had marked the gloomy third anniversary of the large -scale invasion of Russia.
Since then, there has been a “intense” diplomatic commitment, but also an “intensification of the fight” in Ukraine and, sometimes, in Russia, said Mr. Guterres.
Houses, schools, hospitals and shelters continue to be bombarded in Ukraine, while critical civil infrastructure is being destroyed.
According to Mr. Guterres, the last months have seen some of the highest victims with more than 14,000 killed civilians and more than 36,000 injured.
He added that civilians within Russia are being “increasingly affected.”
“Let me be clear: attacks against civilians and civil infrastructure are prohibited according to international law,” he said. “They must stop now.”
Progress ‘painfully slow’ towards peace
Guterres praised the efforts of the United States and others that sought to facilitate diplomatic solutions to the conflict and welcomed the direct conversations between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul.
However, progress in achieving fire and a lasting peace settlement remains “painfully slow.”
“We cannot afford to lose the current diplomatic impulse, as fragile as it could be“He said.
He reiterated his appeal for a “high integral and sustainable fire” in line with the UN letter and international law.
“The United Nations are committed to fully supporting all significant efforts to end this war, and build a future of dignity, security and peace for all.”
A resident near the ruins of a residential building in kyiv, observing while emergency equipment looking for survivors after a missile strike in the early hours of August 28.
‘Being the force that acts together’
In his speech, President Zelenskyy regretted that the UN is “losing influence” and requested real security guarantees.
He said that together with Great Britain, France and 40 more nations in what he called the Willing Coalition: “We are building a new security architecture. We have the United States of America as a support.”
He urged the United States, China, Great Britain and France to “be the force that acts together.”
“What we need now is a strong impulse to force Russia towards peace.”
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses the UN Security Council meeting to maintain peace and security in Ukraine.
‘Put this war in an end’
The United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, urged members of the Security Council already involved in the conflict to “end this war before it becomes something that will last another three or four years, leads to greater destruction, both economic and at the same time, loss of life, loss of property, loss of futures.”
He said that if no path to peace appears in the short term, the United States “will take the necessary measures to impose continuous aggression costs.”
The Secretary of State of the United States, Marco A. Rubio, addresses the meeting of the Security Council on the Maintenance of Peace and Security of Ukraine.
‘Do not abandon negotiations’
Speaking for Russia, the first permanent representative Dmitry Polyanskiy said that the meeting, which described as another “shameful episode in the hypocrisy market”, generates “there is no added value for the establishment for peace in Ukraine.”
Going to the Member States, said Russia awaits its support for a “realistic, long -term and lasting peace,” added that Moscow “is not abandoning any negotiation.”