The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, changed his agenda at the last minute and returned to the UN headquarters in New York due to the worsening situation in Ukraine, his spokesman said on Monday (21).
Guterres “will return to New York on Tuesday,” Stephane Dujarric said in a brief statement shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced he would recognize pro-Russian breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine as independent.
“Faced with the deteriorating situation with regard to Ukraine, the Secretary-General cancels his mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo” scheduled for Monday, added Dujarric.
After attending an annual meeting on international security in Munich last weekend, Guterres was in his home country of Portugal this Monday when he decided an hour before leaving for Congo to cancel his trip.
Putin’s decision puts an end to the unstable peace process brokered by France and Germany, which provided for the return of the territories to Kiev’s control in exchange for broad autonomy.
Shortly before the Russian leader’s announcement, the UN urged “all those involved to refrain from any unilateral decision or action that could harm Ukraine’s territorial integrity.”
“We underline our call for an immediate cessation of hostilities, maximum containment by all parties to avoid any actions or statements that further escalate tensions,” Dujarric said, stressing that all disputes must “be dealt with through diplomacy.”
Dujarric also indicated that the UN had “authorized the temporary relocation of certain non-essential staff and certain family members” of UN personnel sent to Ukraine.
According to the spokesman, the United Nations currently has 1,510 staff in Ukraine, including 149 foreign nationals and 1,361 Ukrainian nationals.
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