Several UN member states call on Russia to end Ukraine war

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - Several UN member states on Friday called on Russia to end Ukraine war which is set to enter its third year on Feb. 24.

French Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Sejourne said that Russia has been waging a war for two years, which he called an "unjust, unjustifiable and illegal war of aggression."

Unlike Russia, Ukraine wants peace, Sejourne told the UN Security Council meeting, adding: "No one wants peace more than the Ukrainian people."

"This war is illegal and it runs counter to the UN Charter, to the rules and principles underpinning international order which we built after the Second World War," he said.

Britain's Foreign Secretary David Cameron called on the members to stand up to Russian President Vladimir Putin, "not just out of sympathy for Ukraine, but because his actions in Ukraine are dangerous for everyone else."

He added that "respect for sovereignty lies at the heart" of the international system and the UN.

"And that’s why nothing should matter more to us than seeing Putin fail," he said, adding: "We must not falter. We must stand firm."

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US envoy to the UN, said as Council members sitting around the same table called for diplomacy and de-escalation, Putin "openly chose war."

She called for greater support for Ukraine, to help it fight not only for peace but for a just, lasting peace, rooted in the UN Charter’s fundamental principles.

"Let us be exceedingly clear here: if Russia puts down its weapons today, the war will end; if Ukraine puts down its weapons, Ukraine would be over," Thomas-Greenfield added.

Russian envoy to the UN Vassily Nebenzia, for his part, said that one year ago, the Western bloc had tried to promote its peaceful initiatives and openly instilled in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy the notion that he could beat Russia.

"Ukraine has completely failed, while the West continues to pump weapons into the country and to discuss dead end peace prospects," he said.

"For the people of Ukraine, it’s increasing clear how ineffective its Government is and how much it lacks independence," he said, adding: "In this proxy war…Ukraine is losing."

“Any conflict ends sooner or later,” Nebenzia said.

"There’s no doubt that the Ukrainian conflict will end as well. There’s no doubt that the longer it lasts due to the sustained support by the West, the less advantageous the peace dividends will be for Ukraine," he added.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told Council that Russia's name is synonymous with "aggression, war crimes and barbarism."

"We continue to insist that Russia has no legal right to be present at this table, and the future reform should correct this historic mistake that led to deadly consequences," he said.

"It is only through our resolute and joint actions that we can put the aggressor in his place and restore international peace and security," the minister said.

Stressing that Ukraine believes in the UN and the UN Charter, he added: "We do applaud the tireless efforts of the responsible members of this Council."