UN Chief on the annexation of Ukrainian territory | Press Conference (29 Sept 2022) | United Nations

Описание: Secretary-General António Guterres today (29 Sep) said any decision by the Russian Federation to proceed with the annexation of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine “would have no legal value and deserves to be condemned.”

Issuing a statement to journalists in New York, the Secretary-General said, “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.”

The United Nations General Assembly, he said, also declared that “the territory of a State shall not be the object of acquisition by another State resulting from the threat or use of force” and that “no territorial acquisition resulting from the threat or use of force shall be recognized as legal”.

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

He said an annexation “cannot be reconciled with the international legal framework. It 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.”

The position of the United Nations, the Secretary-General said, “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.”

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” and “cannot be called a genuine expression of the popular will.”

Any decision by Russia to go forward, Guterres said, “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.”

He said, “it is high time to step back from the brink.”

Remarks [as delivered]: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/p...

Screenshot credit: UN Photo/Evan Schneider