UN to Again ‘Demand’ Russia ‘Immediately’ End War in Ukraine

Ukraine's ambassador to the UN, Sergiy Kyslytsya, addresses the General Assembly on March 23, 2022 TIMOTHY A. CLARY AFP
Ukraine's ambassador to the UN, Sergiy Kyslytsya, addresses the General Assembly on March 23, 2022 TIMOTHY A. CLARY AFP
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UN to Again ‘Demand’ Russia ‘Immediately’ End War in Ukraine

Ukraine's ambassador to the UN, Sergiy Kyslytsya, addresses the General Assembly on March 23, 2022 TIMOTHY A. CLARY AFP
Ukraine's ambassador to the UN, Sergiy Kyslytsya, addresses the General Assembly on March 23, 2022 TIMOTHY A. CLARY AFP

The UN General Assembly was debating on Wednesday a new non-binding resolution which, if adopted by a majority of member states, will "demand" that Russia stop the war in Ukraine "immediately".

On March 2, 141 countries approved an earlier resolution that demands that Russia immediately cease the use of force against Ukraine.

Five states, including Russia, voted against and 35 abstained. The resolution was non-binding and, other than demonstrating Russia's isolation on the world stage, did not appear to impact the fighting.

On Wednesday Ukraine put the new resolution forward at another emergency session of the General Assembly in New York, AFP reported.

The text, which is also non-binding, "demands an immediate cessation of the hostilities by the Russian Federation against Ukraine, in particular of any attacks against civilians and civilian objects."

It also reiterates UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' call for Moscow to "stop its military offensive, as well as his call to establish a ceasefire and to return to the path of dialogue and negotiations."

The draft resolution, seen by AFP, is supported by 88 countries and had been initially prepared by France and Mexico.

The United States ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, described it as "building" on the March 2 vote.

She said it "makes that appeal to the one person with the ability to stop the violence. And that's Vladimir Putin."

Her French counterpart Nicolas de Riviere said France was calling on Moscow to "stop the aggression of Ukraine, which has been killing civilians, including children, medical staff and journalists for a month."

"It is a massacre and the worst is still ahead of us," he continued, recalling that the "absolute priority is an immediate cessation of hostilities and full compliance with international humanitarian law."

Also on Wednesday, Russia will try again to submit a resolution to the UN Security Council on the "humanitarian situation" in Ukraine.

If the resolution is not vetoed, it will need at least nine votes from the 15-member body to be adopted -- which diplomats say is unlikely.

Last week Russia -- which invaded Ukraine on February 24, and has been accused of committing war crimes against civilians -- cancelled an earlier attempt at the vote due to a lack of support from its closest allies.

That resolution never had a chance of adoption because it would have been vetoed by Western powers.

Russia, however, had hoped that some votes in favor would have shown it still has some support on the world stage following its all-out assault on Ukraine.



Greece Blocks Asylum Claims for Migrants on Crete after Surge in Arrivals

Migrants get off a bus at the port of Heraklion, Crete, Greece, 08 July 2025. EPA/NIKOS CHALKIADAKIS
Migrants get off a bus at the port of Heraklion, Crete, Greece, 08 July 2025. EPA/NIKOS CHALKIADAKIS
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Greece Blocks Asylum Claims for Migrants on Crete after Surge in Arrivals

Migrants get off a bus at the port of Heraklion, Crete, Greece, 08 July 2025. EPA/NIKOS CHALKIADAKIS
Migrants get off a bus at the port of Heraklion, Crete, Greece, 08 July 2025. EPA/NIKOS CHALKIADAKIS

Greece's government said Wednesday it is temporarily suspending asylum applications for migrants arriving on the island of Crete, following a spike in arrivals from Libya.

More than 2,000 migrants have landed on the island since the weekend, according to coast guard figures, bringing the total number of arrivals this year to over 10,000.

Speaking in parliament, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the government also planned to build a detention site on Crete for migrants and was seeking direct collaboration between the Libya and Greek coast guards to turn back boats leaving the North African country.

“This emergency situation clearly demands emergency measures,” Mitsotakis told parliament Wednesday. “The Greek government has decided to inform the European Commission that ... it will suspend the processing of asylum applications — for an initial period of three months — for those arriving by sea from North Africa.”

According to The Associated Press, the suspension will apply only to migrants reaching Crete by sea. Migrants entering illegally will be detained, Mitsotakis said. “The Greek government is sending a firm message: the route to Greece is closing, and that message is directed at all human traffickers,” he said.

Overnight, a fishing trawler carrying 520 migrants from Libya was intercepted south of Crete. A bulk carrier that took all of the migrants onboard was rerouted to the port of Lavrio, near Athens, so that the migrants could be detained on a mainland facility, authorities said.