Linda Thomas considered Russia’s actions a violation of the world order and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, stressing that his country would not accept a return to the era of the Soviet Union.
For his part, the representative of the European Union to the United Nations called on Russia not to deploy its forces in eastern Ukraine, considering that “Russian mobilization in separatist sites is unacceptable.”
On the other hand, Russia’s representative to the United Nations said that his country’s recognition of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions “is a result of Kiev’s violations there,” stressing that Moscow did not violate the Minsk agreement.
For his part, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres considered that the world is facing a “moment of danger” due to the Ukrainian-Russian crisis, denouncing once again the “violations” committed by Moscow against Kiev.
“Russia’s decision to recognize the so-called (independence) of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions – and their aftermath – is a violation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty and contradicts the principles of the United Nations Charter,” Guterres said.
Guterres stressed that the step taken by Russian President Vladimir Putin dealt “a fatal blow to the Minsk agreements approved by the UN Security Council.”
In response to a question about whether he considers that there is a “genocide” committed by Kiev in eastern Ukraine as accused by Putin, Guterres said: “I do not think that is the case,” noting that “genocide is a clearly defined crime.”