French president urges world to strengthen 'fundamental principle' of UN Charter amid war in Ukraine

By Nur Asena Erturk and Beyza Binnur Donmez

The French president on Saturday called on the international community to “strengthen the fundamental principle of the UN Charter on international law.”

“Nobody in this room is in war against Russia, but everybody wants a sustainable peace, meaning a peace respecting international rule and restoring Ukraine in its sovereignty,” Emmanuel Macron told world leaders at the two-day Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland's Burgenstock Resort.

“We have to strengthen the fundamental principle of the UN Charter on international law in order to make borders and sovereignty being respected,” he said, criticizing Russia for being a revisionist power.

He considered the summit in Switzerland as a “milestone” to reaffirm attachment to the “core principles of international laws.”

The French president also slammed Russia for targeting “civilian targets and infrastructures,” which he described as “war crimes.”

- UN Charter ‘backbone for peace in Ukraine’

President of the EU Council Charles Michel said that “international law and UN Charter must be the backbone for just peace in Ukraine.”

He stressed that it is the “collective duty” of the international community to “protect a world based on laws.”

Michel also said: “There is no room for double standards.”

“International law must be protected always and everywhere,” whether in Ukraine or the Middle East.

“This is our global responsibility,” he added.