Ukrainian President Urges Russia to Stop Nuclear Blackmail | United Nations Security Council | Full

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, "The Russian military has turned the territory of the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, the Zaporizhzhia power plant, into a war zone. This is a fact,” adding that “Russia should unconditionally stop nuclear blackmail.”

Addressing the Security Council today (24 Aug) via videoconference, Zelenskyy said that Russia has launched missiles against the Dnipropetrovsk region

According to the Ukrainian President, 50 people were injured.

“Unfortunately, the death toll could increase,” he added, “This is our life every day. This is how Russia got prepared for this UN session.”

He also said, “now every one of you can see how much the world is dependent on our independence and whether Ukraine is at peace, whether our people are safe, whether the integrity of our territory and the availability of our borders are guaranteed.”

He added, “you can take any aspect of this terrible [action] against us, and this aspect will be related to one or another global crisis."

About the Zaporizhzhia power plant, Zelenskyy said that “Russia's armed provocation, shelling, deployment of terrorists on the territory of the station under the Russian flag. Now Europe and its neighboring regions face the threat of the radiation pollution.”

He also noted that the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has six reactors, while only one reactor exploded in Chernobyl.

“The IAEA mission should take permanent control of the situation at the Zaporizhzhia Operation nuclear plant as soon as possible” he stated.

Today’s Security Council meeting marked six months since the outbreak of hostilities on 24 February.

The meeting also coincided with the anniversary of Ukraine’s declaration of independence in 1991.

In his remarks to the Security Council, Secretary-General António Guterres said that despite progress on the humanitarian front, “fighting in Ukraine shows no signs of ending, with new potential areas of dangerous escalation appearing.”

He also stated that “any actions that might endanger the physical integrity, safety, or security of the nuclear plant are simply unacceptable. Any further escalation of the situation could lead to self-destruction.”

Also addressing Security Council, Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, said that civilians are paying a heavy price in this war.

During the past 181 days the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has recorded 13,560 civilian casualties: 5,614 killed and 7,946 injured.

These figures are based on verified incidents; actual numbers are considerably higher.

She also said that human rights violations are continuously reported.

According to DiCarlo, the arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance of civilians, including local authorities, journalists, civil society activists, and other civilians, continues.

At least 17.7 million people, or 40 percent of the Ukrainian population, need humanitarian assistance and protection, including 3.3 million children.

DiCarlo said that the human and material toll of the war is “tragic, colossal, and evident. First and foremost, for Ukraine and its people. The economic consequences for the rest of the world are ominous and growing.”
The conflict is also having an impact that, “although less tangible, is just as perilous,” she noted.

“In deepening global divisions and exacerbating mistrust in our institutions, the war is weakening the foundations of our international system. The consequences of a breakdown in how the world manages questions of peace and security are frightening to contemplate. This war is not only senseless, but exceedingly dangerous, and it touches all of us. It must end,” she concluded.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US Permanent Representative to the United Nations, stated, “Russia’s goal is as clear as ever: to dismantle Ukraine as a geopolitical entity and erase it from the world map.”

Also at the Security Council, Vasily Nebenzya, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federeation to the United Nations, said,“No one is arguing that it is difficult for Ukrainians today. However, the responsibility for this lies with the Kyiv regime, which came to power in 2014 as a result of an anti-constitutional coup carried out with the help of several Western states. From the very beginning, the new Maidan authorities have been steadily leading the country to disaster, choosing the path of Russophobia and the glorification of Nazi criminals.”

Zhang Jun, Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations said, “we hope that Russia and Ukraine continue the dialogue communication between them so as to retire to diplomatic negotiations at an early date and create momentum and conditions needed for a ceasefire. The US and NATO should seriously reflect on the roles they have been playing and focus their efforts on what truly is conducive to peace instead of pouring oil over fire.”

Screenshot Credit: UN Photo/Manuel Elías

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