United Nations
Two years of war: Dozens of countries demand Putin’s withdrawal
Unlike last year, there was no vote on a resolution against Russia in the General Assembly. photo
© Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa
The Gaza war occupies a lot of space in international diplomacy. A demand from dozens of foreign ministers to Vladimir Putin in the Ukraine conflict is now all the more important.
Two years after Russia invaded Ukraine, UN Secretary-General António Guterres and dozens of countries from President Vladimir Putin demands the withdrawal of his troops. Meanwhile, Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock rejected calls for negotiations with Moscow. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba read a joint statement from more than 50 nations in New York.
“We renew our call for Russia to stop its war of aggression against Ukraine,” Kuleba said. Russia should ensure a “complete, immediate and unconditional withdrawal” of all forces from internationally recognized Ukrainian territory. There were two high-level meetings of the UN General Assembly and the World Security Council in New York on the anniversary, to which Baerbock also traveled.
“It is high time for peace – a just peace based on the United Nations Charter, international law and General Assembly resolutions,” UN chief António Guterres told the Security Council. The 74-year-old Portuguese also warned of an expansion of the conflict in Eastern Europe. Numerous war crimes, especially those committed by the Russian armed forces, must also be investigated and those responsible must be held accountable.
“The glass is half-full”
Green Party politician Baerbock said in her speech before the most powerful UN body that she was hearing calls to negotiate with Putin. But he made it clear that he did not want to negotiate peace, but wanted to complete his “conquests”. “Russia, a permanent member of this council, wants a sovereign state to give up its right to exist. Where would we be if this principle were to prevail,” Baerbock asked the room. Kuleba vowed in his speech that Ukraine would never “accept an offer to surrender or cede our lands and freedoms under the guise of peace.”
Foreign Minister Baerbock had previously emphasized that Ukraine had fought back 50 percent of the territories occupied by Russia and the Black Sea. Ukraine will also soon be a member of the European Union. The country’s support was therefore not only worth it, “but the glass is half full.”
Baerbock pointed to the recently signed bilateral German-Ukrainian security agreement, which offers Ukraine reliable and lasting support. “We stand by Ukraine,” assured the Federal Foreign Minister. British Foreign Minister David Cameron made a similar statement: “We will not waver, we will stand firm for Ukraine’s freedom.”
His French counterpart Stéphane Séjourné condemned Russian war crimes such as massacres of civilians as well as rape, torture and the abduction of Ukrainian children: “These crimes must not go unpunished.” American UN Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield reminded Moscow of its guilt: “In this war, only one party is the aggressor. And only one party can end it.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken did not travel to New York, nor did his counterparts from China and Russia. Moscow’s representative Vasily Nebenzya used his speech to accuse Western states of double standards and a secret agenda in Ukraine.
No new UN General Assembly resolution
Unlike last year, there was 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. There was no new sign of strength this year – partly because there were fears that a vote could backfire.
The mood has changed since last year, said diplomats in New York. 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.