Search for “peaceful solution”: Russia agrees to UN declaration of war for the first time

Search for “peaceful solution”
Russia agrees to UN declaration of war for first time

Russia has long blocked all United Nations Security Council statements on the war in Ukraine. Why the country is now supporting a declaration supporting UN Secretary-General Guterres remains open. A diplomat provides a simple explanation.

In its first statement on the Ukraine war, the UN Security Council backed the peace efforts of UN Secretary-General António Guterres. “The Security Council expresses strong support for the Secretary-General’s efforts to find a peaceful solution,” the statement said. It is the first statement by the UN body, which also includes Russia, on the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.

Norway and Mexico wrote the text of the declaration. An earlier version said the Security Council in New York supported Secretary General Guterres’ role as a mediator in the Ukraine war. This wording has been deleted. In the statement, the Security Council expressed “deeply concern” about the preservation of peace and security in Ukraine. The Security Council also recalled that all UN member states have committed themselves to settling international disputes through peaceful means.

Russia had previously prevented Security Council decisions on the Ukraine war. When asked what prompted Moscow to agree, a diplomat said, while guaranteeing anonymity, that “all the good stuff” had been removed from the draft.

Guterres welcomed the statement. It was the first time that the Security Council “spoke with one voice for peace in Ukraine,” he said. The world must come together “to silence the guns and uphold the values ​​of the UN Charter”. The UN Secretary-General announced that he would “spare no effort to save lives, reduce suffering and find the path to peace”.

Ambassadors express restrained satisfaction

Mexico’s ambassador to the UN, Juan Ramón de la Fuente, spoke of a “very first step” that points “in the right direction”. Norway’s representative at the United Nations, Mona Juul, said it was the first unanimous Council decision since “this terrible war began in Ukraine”. The situation requires “maximum efforts” by the Security Council, the UN Secretary-General and the entire UN.

Russia attacked neighboring Ukraine on February 24. Attempts by the UN Security Council to condemn the war of aggression failed because of Russia’s right of veto. As one of five permanent members of the body, Russia can single-handedly block any resolution.

So far, the UN has not played a mediating role in the Ukraine war, but is primarily committed to humanitarian goals. A visit by Guterres to Moscow and Kyiv at the end of April ultimately led to several hundred civilians being brought to safety from the port city of Mariupol, which had been fought over for weeks, with the support of the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Guterres is traveling to Moldova on Monday and Tuesday, where he will visit a refugee camp, among other things. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, nearly half a million Ukrainians have fled to the neighboring country.

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