UNITED NATIONS, April 24 (Reuters) – U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday that the risk of conflict between world powers was at a “historic high” and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned that the world was “on the brink of even more.” More dangerous than during the Cold War.
Guterres, who sat next to Lavrov on the UN Security Council, criticized Russia’s invasion of Ukraine for causing massive suffering and devastation in the country and fueling global economic dislocation caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
“Tensions between major powers are at historic highs. There are risks of conflict through misadventure or miscalculation,” said Diversity and Founding UN. Guterres told a 15-member meeting on the charter.
Lavrov chaired the council meeting as Russia holds the council’s monthly rotating presidency for the month of April.
“During the Cold War, we have reached a dangerous, perhaps even more dangerous, threshold,” Lavrov said. “The situation is worsened by the loss of confidence in multilateralism.”
“Let’s call a spade a spade. No one allows Western minorities to speak on behalf of all humanity,” Lavrov said.
[1/6] Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya speaks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during a meeting of the United Nations Security Council on “Effective Diversity through Safeguarding the Principles of the United Nations Charter” at UN headquarters in New York. , US, April 24, 2023. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
A string of Security Council members, including the US, France and Britain, condemned Russia’s war on Ukraine.
“Today our hypocritical inviter, Russia, invaded its neighbor Ukraine and struck at the heart of the UN Charter,” US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the assembly.
“This illegal, unprovoked and unnecessary war is directly against our most sacred principle: war of aggression and territorial aggression is never acceptable,” he said.
Thomas-Greenfield called for the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Ivan Gershkovich and former Marine Paul Whelan, and accused Russia of violating international law by wrongfully detaining Americans. Whelan’s sister Elizabeth was in the Security Council chamber on Monday.
As the United Nations seeks to save an agreement allowing safe Black Sea exports of Ukraine’s Black Sea grain that expires on May 18, he has urged the continued implementation of that agreement and a related agreement under which the United Nations has pledged to facilitate Russia’s own. Export of grain and fertilizer.
“They clearly demonstrate that such cooperation is necessary to create greater security and prosperity for all,” he said.
Reporting by Michael Nichols
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