Russia flouts UN principles, resorts to dangerous escalation - Guterres

This is said in an official statement by the UN general-secretary, which was published on the organization’s website.

“The UN Charter is clear. Any annexation of a State’s territory by another State resulting from the threat or use of force is a violation of the Principles of the UN Charter and international law,” he said.

Guterres stressed that the Russian Federation, as one of the five permanent members of the Security Council, “shares a particular responsibility to respect the Charter”.   

“Any decision to proceed with the annexation of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine would have no legal value and deserves to be condemned. It cannot be reconciled with the international legal framework,” he said.

Guterres said that Russia now stands against everything the international community is meant to stand for.

“It flouts the Purposes and Principles of the United Nations. It is a dangerous escalation. It has no place in the modern world. It must not be accepted,” he said.

Guterres noted that the position of the United Nations is unequivocal: “We are fully committed to the sovereignty, unity, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine, within its internationally recognized borders, in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions”.

In addition, he underscored that the so-called “referenda” in the occupied regions were conducted during active armed conflict, in areas under Russian occupation, and outside Ukraine’s legal and constitutional framework. “They cannot be called a genuine expression of the popular will,” he said.

Guterres also stressed that any decision by Russia to go forward will further jeopardize the prospects for peace.  

“It will prolong the dramatic impacts on the global economy, especially developing countries and hinder our ability to deliver life-saving aid across Ukraine and beyond. It is high time to step back from the brink," he noted.

“Now more than ever, we must work together to end this devastating and senseless war and uphold the UN Charter and international law,” Guterres summarized.

As Ukrinform reported, on September 30, the Kremlin held a ceremony on "accession to Russia" of the self-proclaimed “DPR/LPR”, as well as the territories of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine captured by the Russian army.

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