Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has called on the international community to increase pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war of aggression against Ukraine that began two years ago. “If we care about a world in which every life is equally important, it is up to each and every one of us to defend ourselves against Russia’s war,” said the Green politician at a session of the UN General Assembly in New York. Many states renewed their criticism of Russia at the meeting.
Given the suffering of the civilian population in the Gaza war and the crisis in Sudan, Baerbock said that the victims of these conflicts have not been forgotten: “Every life is equally important. Humanity is indivisible.” The worst thing you can do is “pit one person’s pain against another’s.” This would “only be playing into the hands of those who want to divide us in order to push their ruthless agenda into the world.” The UN stands for a world in which every life counts equally – be it Palestinian, Israeli, Sudanese or Ukrainian.
Ukraine and Russia exchange verbal blows
At the beginning of the meeting, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba exchanged blows with Moscow’s representative. “Russia’s goal is to destroy Ukraine, and they talk about it quite openly,” Kuleba said. “The only reason for this war is and remains Russia’s refusal to recognize Ukraine’s right to exist.”
In the eight years between the Russian annexation of the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea in 2014, which violated international law, and the start of the current war, 200 unsuccessful rounds of peace negotiations took place, with 20 ceasefire agreements in Crimea as a result. Russia is to blame for the fact that these were unsuccessful.
Russian UN Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya replied: “The truth is that there are no temporarily occupied areas of Ukraine.” Crimea is Russian and there have been referendums on joining Russia in the Donetsk, Luhansk regions and around Kherson, the ambassador said. International observers did not consider these elections to be independent and free.
Nebenzya once again described the Ukrainian government as a “neo-Nazi regime,” a frequently made Russian propaganda accusation. He claimed that many Western depictions of the war were fabricated.
Cameron: High price if we gave up
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron warned of Putin’s aggressive policies. “This is not a man who seeks compromise,” he said. “Instead, he is a neo-imperalist tyrant who believes that might trumps right.” On faltering international support for Ukraine, he said: “We must recognize the high cost of giving up now. Putin has said that there can be no peace until Russia’s goals are achieved.”
Baerbock assured: “We will stand by Ukraine as long as it lasts. Because we stand against a world of ruthlessness.” Putin has proven time and again that human lives don’t matter to him – neither abroad nor at home, she said. The Russian president did not even shy away from arresting Russian children for laying flowers to mourn the death of Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny.
No new UN General Assembly resolution
Unlike last year, there will be no vote on a resolution against Russia in the General Assembly. In February 2023, 141 of the 193 member states voted for a resolution that called on Russian President Putin to withdraw his troops – a historically clear result. A new sign of strength is not expected this year – also because that could backfire.
Diplomats in New York explain that the mood has changed since last year. On the one hand, this has to do with Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip, which has attracted a lot of attention. On the other hand, some Ukrainian countries resent their voting behavior in the General Assembly regarding Gaza: In December, Kiev abstained when the largest UN body voted on a draft resolution for a ceasefire in Gaza.
