Biden has met with Lizz Truss at the NATO General Assembly. /
Western leaders say they will not recognize the referendums in the occupied territories and the European Commission does not rule out taking action against Moscow
If the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in the middle of a meeting of the Security Council called urgently precisely to avoid it, the double of it, with the call up of reservists and nuclear threat included, was announced in the middle of the first meeting high-level face-to-face meeting held by the UN General Assembly in three years. Clearly, Putin is challenging the multilateral organization, created after World War II precisely to defend peace.
In his speech on Wednesday, President Joe Biden warned that the “brutal and unnecessary” war “chosen by one man” aims to wipe Ukraine off the map as a sovereign state, but also threatens to make the UN irrelevant, because “It unabashedly violates the fundamental principles of the UN Magna Carta.”
The disturbing nuclear threat that Putin launched in his last speech is “irresponsible” to say the least. “Nuclear war cannot be won, nor should it ever be fought,” he warned.
Hours later, by videoconference, the Ukrainian president Volodímir Zelenski would admit that his country cannot rule it out.
In Europe, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s speech has been seen as yet another sign of “desperation” in the face of the lack of progress on the combat front. This was pointed out by the spokesman for Foreign Affairs of the European Commission, Peter Stano, who stressed that the mobilization of 300,000 reservists is “another proof that Putin is not interested in peace, but in escalating his aggression against Ukraine”.
This week the leaders of the European Union (EU) have traveled to the United States to attend the UN General Assembly, where they hope to forge alliances and show a common front against Moscow. “The consequences of the Russian invasion are global, with an energy and food crisis. Putin is also attacking the basic principles of the international community,” said the Brussels spokesman.
Meanwhile, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in a joint statement with the British prime minister, Liz Truss, after a meeting in New York, also had words of rejection towards the Russian president. “We condemn Putin’s actions and agree that mobilizing part of the population is a sign of weakness. The Russian invasion is failing », she maintained.
The EU does not rule out taking further action against the Kremlin after the Russian president’s statements. “We are discussing our response at the UN,” said Stano, who assured that the continuation of the war in Ukraine, the war crimes committed by the Russian Army and the announced referendums “will have consequences.” Moscow has not been slow to react to these words. Kremlin spokesman Dimitri Peskov has urged Borrell not only to focus on Russia’s activities, but also to pay attention to the “crimes” committed by the Ukrainian side since 2014, “which can and should become a pretext for the very court they speak of.” In addition, he has criticized that the head of European diplomacy “never” has spoken about the alleged crimes in kyiv or the “destiny of innocent civilians and murdered children.” He has also reminded him that Borrel “does not have the proper authority” for the “inadmissible” statements he has made after Putin’s call.
The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, who last night called an emergency meeting of the Twenty-seven to respond to the Kremlin, is also on tour in the US and, from there, has assured that the EU “will not recognize” the referendums that take place in the occupied territories. “We strongly condemn the illegal referendums in Lugansk, Kherson and Donetsk, as they constitute a violation of Ukrainian sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. Your results will be null and void », he wrote on his social networks.
China
Beijing urges end to war
Exactly a week ago, the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, shook hands at a summit in Uzbekistan to boast to the world of a “limitless” friendship. The fissures of the tandem were, however, exposed with the manifest discomfort of the Asian giant due to the course of the war in Ukraine. The gap opened up even more this Wednesday when Beijing made an explicit call for a “ceasefire through dialogue” when just hours before the head of the Kremlin was betting on redoubling the offensive with the announcement of a mobilization of 300,000 reservists.
“We call on the relevant parties to reach a ceasefire through dialogue and find a solution that responds to the legitimate security concerns of all parties as soon as possible,” were the words of Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin. . In his press conference, he even went further by assuring that “the territorial and sovereign integrity of all countries must be respected, the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations must be fulfilled”, while encouraging the world community to promote the “peaceful resolution” of the crisis.
United Kingdom
“Chilling Warnings”
From the Government of the United Kingdom they have described the decision of the Russian president as “a worrying escalation”. The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Gillian Keegan, has also described as “chilling” Putin’s warnings about the possible use of “all means” in the event of a threat to Russian territorial integrity. “It is a serious threat, but it is one that has been formulated before,” she said, before accusing the Russian president of “lying” in his speech to the nation, according to the British television network BBC.
Thus, he has indicated that the Russian president’s comments must be taken “seriously” and has called for calm, while emphasizing that work is continuing to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict.
USA
“Signs of Russian weakness and failure”
The partial mobilization of reservists and the call for annexation referendums in the occupied Ukrainian territories are “signs of Russian weakness and failure,” said the US ambassador in kyiv, Bridget Brink. In addition, she added that her country will continue “supporting Ukraine for as long as it takes.”
Germany
“wrong step”
German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck has called the Russian president’s decision a “wrong step”. Habeck, who is also Minister of Economy, has indicated that the German Government is deliberating its response to Putin’s decision and has reiterated Berlin’s support for kyiv in the face of the Russian invasion, as reported by the German newspaper ‘Der Spiegel’ .
France
“We must impose maximum pressure”
French President Emmanuel Macron urged imposing “maximum pressure” on Vladimir Putin to end a war “that makes no sense.” In his view, Russia is “increasingly isolated and trapped in a war that only they want.” The Russian president’s elections, in his opinion, are “contrary to the meaning of history, to the interests of Russia and obviously of the international community,” he said.
