European Council president calls on China to persuade Russia to stop the war

BRUSSELS (AA) - European Council President Charles Michel called Wednesday on UN Security Council members, particularly China, to convince Russia to stop the war in Ukraine.

Michel was speaking at a high-level session of the UN Security Council in New York chaired by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama.

Addressing Vasily Nebenzya, Russia's Permanent Representative to the UN, Michel said "Ukraine is a crime scene. The perpetrator is sitting right in this room. You know who you are."

"The Kremlin dreams of re-establishing the old Russian empire. After Ukraine, who's next? Who's in line to fulfill (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's historical fantasies?" he added.

“I ask you all, including the Russian representatives: could you bear having your child stolen and deported? Your child forced to forget your family, your language, your land? So-called ‘re-education.’ In fact, this is an attempt at cultural genocide,” he said, reiterating the EU's staunch support for Ukraine.

Michel underscored his appeal, especially directed at China, saying: "You have cautioned Russia against using nuclear weapons, which we appreciate. Now let's take it further. Let's join forces to persuade Russia to end this brutal war causing immense suffering for so many."

Despite strong objections from the Russian Permanent Mission, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke first after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in the session, asserting that the current deadlock within the UN was primarily due to the allocation of veto power to aggressors.

Following Zelenskyy's speech, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused the Western world of attempting to determine the fate of humanity in their own interests after the Cold War, leading to global instability and new areas of tension.

*Writing by Necva Tastan in Istanbul