In a debate marked by attacks, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called on the UN Security Council to oppose Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“This war is not the war of the Russian people. This war is Putin’s war,” said the Green politician at a special session in New York on the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “The Russian President is risking the future of his own country.” A just peace is also in the interests of the people of Russia.
The Russian ambassador to the UN, Wassili Nebensja, accused Western Ukraine supporters – including Germany – of wanting to destroy Russia. The word “peace” is used disingenuously, said Moscow’s representative at the United Nations: “What is meant is a capitulation by Russia, which ideally inflicts a strategic defeat on Russia, followed by the dissolution of the country and the reorganization of the territories.”
With a view to Russia, Baerbock continued: “I’m under no illusions: we won’t convince the Russian representative today.” Nebensia is not even listening – the Russian diplomat was not in the room when she spoke. China’s representative Dai Bing called for talks between Moscow and Kiev “without preconditions”. Russia and China are permanent members of the United Nations’ most powerful body, as are the US, France and the UK. Germany currently has no seat there.
“Putin will lose much sooner than he thinks”
The high-level meeting on the anniversary of the beginning of the war was repeatedly held up by diplomatic tricks. At first, Nebensia tried to prevent Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba from speaking in front of the members of the Security Council, but was unsuccessful. When Kuleba initiated a minute’s silence for the victims of the war at the end of his speech, Nebensja took the floor and demanded that the minute’s silence should apply to the victims on all sides since 2014.
In his speech, Kuleba was confident of victory: “Putin will lose much sooner than he thinks.” He again called for the establishment of a special tribunal with special jurisdiction over the crime of aggressive war, citing the Nuremberg war crimes tribunal after World War II as a model.
Kuleba again stressed that thousands of children had been kidnapped to Russia. “Possibly the largest case of state-sponsored child abduction in the history of our modern world.” Russia denies the allegations.
Warning words from US Secretary of State Blinken
Probably alluding to a new Chinese position paper, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned of a “temporary or unconditional” ceasefire. “Russia will use any lull in fighting to consolidate control over illegally captured territory and increase its forces for further attacks.” The members of the Security Council should therefore not be fooled by calls for a ceasefire.
China had previously called for a ceasefire in the war against Ukraine. The document also calls for negotiations to be resumed soon. At the end of her speech, Baerbock emphasized: “What we can do is stand up for a world in which peace means peace.” You can “ignore who the attacker and who the victim is,” said Baerbock. “Because submission is not peace.”
