War is not the solution, war is the problem: UN chief on Russia-Ukraine conflict

As February 24 marks oneyear of the RussiaUkraine war UN chief Antonio Guterres on Wednesday local time urged Russia to end the war in Ukraine saying War is not the solution war is the problemIn a remark to the General Assembly Emergency Special Session on Ukraine he said War is not the solution War is the problem People in Ukraine are suffering enormously Ukrainians Russians and people far beyond need peace While prospects may look bleak today we must all work knowing that genuine lasting peace must be based on the United Nations Charter and international law The longer the fighting continues the more difficult this work will be We dont have a moment to loseThe UN SecretaryGeneral said that the oneyear mark of Russias invasion of Ukraine stands as a grim milestone for the people of Ukraine and for the international communityThat invasion is an affront to our collective conscience It is a violation of the United Nations Charter and international law It is having dramatic humanitarian and human rights consequences And the impact is being felt far beyond Ukraine he addedGuterres said that Russias attack on Ukraine challenges the cornerstone principles and values of the multilateral systemAlso Read Ukraine leader pledges push for victory on war anniversaryThe United Nations Charter is unambiguous he said All members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United NationsThe UN chief said that General Assembly addressed in the clearest terms the attempt by the Russian Federation to illegally annex four regions of Ukraine Kherson Zaporizhzhia Donetsk and LuhanskIn doing so the Assembly reaffirmed the longstanding principles of international law in its landmark Friendly Relations Declaration of 1970 Namely the territory of a State shall not be the object of acquisition by another State resulting from the threat or use of force and no territorial acquisition resulting from the threat or use of force shall be recognized as legalHe said that the position of the United Nations is unequivocal We are committed to the sovereignty independence unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders added the UN chiefGuterres further stated that 40 per cent of Ukrainians are in need of humanitarian assistanceVital infrastructure has been targeted water energy and heating systems have been destroyed in the dead of winter United Nations agencies have also been cooperating with host countries that received more than 8 million Ukrainians the largest refugee crisis since the Second World War he saidNotably last week the United Nations launched a USD 56 billion humanitarian appeal for the people of UkraineI urge your full support I have visited Ukraine twice since the start of the war where I heard testimonies of severe violations of international humanitarian and human rights laws In this conflict as elsewhere the United Nations is committed to ensuring justice and accountability said GuterresSpeaking on the Black Sea Grain Initiative to advance global food security with the support of the Government of Turkey and the United Nations he said Despite ongoing challenges the initiative to ship grain and other foodstuffs from Ukraine is making a difference We are working hard to remove all the remaining obstacles to implementing the Memorandum of Understanding between the Secretariat of the United Nations and the Russian Federation to facilitate exports of Russian food and fertilizers to global markets This is also an important contribution to addressing global food insecurityTalking about the grave threat related to Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant the largest nuclear facility in Europe Guterres said I commend the International Atomic Energy Agency for engaging the sides to ensure that the area remains safe The security and safety of all Ukrainian nuclear power plants must be guaranteed The war is also fanning regional instability and fuelling global tensions and divisions while diverting attention and resources from other crises and pressing global issues Meanwhile we have heard implicit threats to use nuclear weapons The socalled tactical use of nuclear weapons is utterly unacceptableThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever