Baerbock at the UN: On the side of Ukraine after two years of war

bForeign Minister Annalena Baerbock has rejected calls for negotiations with President Vladimir Putin to end Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine. There are calls to negotiate with Putin, the Green politician said on Friday at the United Nations Security Council in New York. But Putin is making it clear that he does not want to negotiate peace, but rather complete his “conquests,” the Federal Foreign Minister added.

“Russia, a permanent member of this Council, wants a sovereign state to give up its right to exist. Where would we be if this principle were to prevail,” Baerbock asked the room. Who will be the next person to be attacked by a ruthless neighbor, she added. “If we gave in to this, it would be the end of the Charter” of the United Nations. That is why support for Ukraine will not be stopped.

Baerbock pointed to the recently signed bilateral German-Ukrainian security agreement, which offers Ukraine reliable and lasting support. “We stand by Ukraine,” assured the Federal Foreign Minister.

The most powerful UN body met 24 months after Russia invaded Ukraine. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken did not come, nor did his colleagues from Russia and China. The Council has been blocked since the beginning of the war because of Russia's veto power.

Guterres emphasizes the fate of abducted children

UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for an end to the fighting. “It is high time for peace – a just peace based on the Charter of the United Nations, international law and the resolutions of the General Assembly,” said the Portuguese and also warned of an expansion of the conflict in Eastern Europe.

Numerous war crimes, especially those committed by the Russian armed forces, must be investigated and those responsible must be held accountable. “Many Ukrainians are experiencing the living nightmare of losing their children,” Guterres continued. All displaced children, some of whom were brought to Russia, would have to be reunited with their families.

Speech to the General Assembly

Baerbock had previously spoken to the UN General Assembly and warned against polarization and pitting victims of different conflicts against each other. “The worst thing we can do now is pit one person’s pain against another’s,” she said. “By doing so, we would only be playing into the hands of those who want to divide us in order to enforce their ruthless agenda in the world.”

Baerbock spoke of a woman in Sudan who, given the focus on the Russian war in Ukraine and violence in the Middle East, expressed concern to her that “the world will forget us.” “The fact that Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine has been raging for two years does not mean that we do not see the suffering of others,” said Baerbock. “Every life counts equally. Humanity is indivisible.”

“If we care about a world in which every life counts equally, it is up to us, each and every one of us, to stand against Russia’s war,” demanded Baerbock, who gave her speech in English. The UN was founded for this purpose – to ensure that “a life is a life”.

The war in the Middle East “awakened strong emotions in many of our countries,” said Baerbock. “That's why it's so important that we don't give in to those who try to pit one person's pain against another's. Political leadership means resisting polarization. To protect our societies from the poison of dehumanization.” The General Assembly must send this message.

“We stand by Ukraine as long as it is necessary,” continued Baerbock. “Because we stand against a world of ruthlessness. We stand for a world where a life is a life – whether Palestinian, Israeli, Sudanese or Ukrainian,” she concluded.