UN Chief Condemns Russian 'Affront' in Ukraine as Assembly Meets

17 November 2022, Egypt, Sharm el-Sheikh: UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres speaks at a press conference with COP27 President and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry (not pictured) during the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference COP27. (dpa)
17 November 2022, Egypt, Sharm el-Sheikh: UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres speaks at a press conference with COP27 President and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry (not pictured) during the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference COP27. (dpa)
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UN Chief Condemns Russian 'Affront' in Ukraine as Assembly Meets

17 November 2022, Egypt, Sharm el-Sheikh: UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres speaks at a press conference with COP27 President and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry (not pictured) during the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference COP27. (dpa)
17 November 2022, Egypt, Sharm el-Sheikh: UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres speaks at a press conference with COP27 President and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry (not pictured) during the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference COP27. (dpa)

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine Wednesday as the General Assembly met in a special session two days before the anniversary of Moscow's attack.

"That invasion is an affront to our collective conscience," Guterres said, calling the anniversary "a grim milestone for the people of Ukraine and for the international community."

As fighting raged on in Ukraine, the General Assembly began debating a motion backed by Kyiv and its allies calling for a "just and lasting peace”, AFP said.

While the measure is not as tough as Ukraine would like, it is hoping that a large majority of UN states will back the non-binding resolution to demonstrate Kyiv has the support of the global community.

Dozens of countries have sponsored the resolution, which stresses "the need to reach, as soon as possible, a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine in line with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations."

It reaffirms the UN's "commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine" and calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities.

It also demands Russia "immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine."

- 'Bleak' prospects -
In his opening remarks, Guterres highlighted the impact on the world of Russia's February 24, 2022 invasion of its neighbor.

He noted that it has generated eight million refugees, and hurt global food and energy supplies in countries far away from the war zone.

"As I said from day one, Russia's attack on Ukraine challenges the cornerstone principles and values of our multilateral system," he said.

"While prospects may look bleak today, we know that genuine, lasting peace must be based on the UN Charter and international law. The longer the fighting continues, the more difficult this work will be," he said.

With the new resolution, Kyiv hopes to garner the support of at least as many nations as in October, when 143 countries voted to condemn Russia's declared annexation of several Ukrainian territories.

China, India and more than 30 other countries have abstained during previous UN votes in support of Ukraine.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told delegates that they faced a "decisive moment."

"Never in recent history has the line between good and evil been so clear. One country merely wants to live. The other wants to kill and destroy," he said.

- 'Abyss of war' -
As the debate opened, Russia's UN envoy Vasily Nebenzya called Ukraine "neo-Nazi" and accused the West of sacrificing the country and the developing world in their desire to beat Russia.

"They are ready to plunge the entire world into the abyss of war," Nebenzya said, adding that the United States and its allies wanted to shore up their own "hegemony."

"They don't want to have anyone come to the level of governing the planet. They think it's their turf," he said.

But European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell rejected that.

"I want to stress it: this war is not a 'European issue'. Nor is it about 'the West versus Russia'," Borrell told the General Assembly.

"No, this illegal war concerns everyone: the North, the South, the East and the West," he said.

The US envoy to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said the new vote "would go down in history... We will see where the nations of the world stand on the matter of peace in Ukraine."

"I urge you to vote against -- against any and all hostile amendments that seek to undermine the UN Charter and ignore the truth of this war," she said.

- Call for international tribunal -
Ahead of the General Assembly session, Ukraine's first lady told a meeting of top global diplomats that for real justice to be served, an international tribunal should be convened to judge Russia.

"I think you will agree... regardless of our country or nationality, we have the right not to be killed in our own homes," Olena Zelenska said via video link.

"However, Ukrainians are being killed in front of the whole world for the whole year in their own cities, villages, apartments, hospitals, theaters."

"That's why we call on the United Nations to establish a special tribunal for the crimes of Russian aggression," she said.



Italian Prime Minister Meloni Meets with Trump at His Florida Resort

A handout picture made available by the Chigi Palace (Palazzo Chigi) Press Office shows Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (R) meeting with US President-elect Donald Trump at his residence in Mar-a-Lago resort, Palm Beach, Florida, USA, 04 January 2025 (issued 05 January 2025). (EPA/ Filippo Attili/ Chigi Palace Press Office Handout)
A handout picture made available by the Chigi Palace (Palazzo Chigi) Press Office shows Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (R) meeting with US President-elect Donald Trump at his residence in Mar-a-Lago resort, Palm Beach, Florida, USA, 04 January 2025 (issued 05 January 2025). (EPA/ Filippo Attili/ Chigi Palace Press Office Handout)
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Italian Prime Minister Meloni Meets with Trump at His Florida Resort

A handout picture made available by the Chigi Palace (Palazzo Chigi) Press Office shows Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (R) meeting with US President-elect Donald Trump at his residence in Mar-a-Lago resort, Palm Beach, Florida, USA, 04 January 2025 (issued 05 January 2025). (EPA/ Filippo Attili/ Chigi Palace Press Office Handout)
A handout picture made available by the Chigi Palace (Palazzo Chigi) Press Office shows Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (R) meeting with US President-elect Donald Trump at his residence in Mar-a-Lago resort, Palm Beach, Florida, USA, 04 January 2025 (issued 05 January 2025). (EPA/ Filippo Attili/ Chigi Palace Press Office Handout)

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni flew to Florida to meet with President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday, as the key European leader sought to buttress ties with Trump before his inauguration on Jan. 20.

Members of Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort welcomed Meloni with applause after an introduction by the president-elect, according to videos shared on social media by reporters and others.

Her trip comes days before she is to meet US President Joe Biden during a visit to Rome from Thursday to Jan. 12. Trump defeated Biden in the November election and is preparing to return to the White House.

While no details of their meeting have been disclosed, Meloni had planned to talk with Trump about Russia's war in Ukraine, trade issues, the Middle East and the plight of an Italian journalist detained in Tehran, according to Italian media reports.

Meloni's office declined to comment on the reports.

She is seen as a potentially strong partner for Trump given her conservative credentials and the stability of the right-wing coalition she heads in Italy. She has also forged a close relationship with billionaire tech CEO Elon Musk, a close Trump ally who spent more than a quarter-billion dollars to help him win the election.

"This is very exciting. I'm here with a fantastic woman, the prime minister of Italy," Trump told the Mar-a-Lago crowd, according to a media pool report. "She’s really taken Europe by storm."

Trump and Meloni then sat down for a screening of a documentary questioning the criminal investigations and legal scrutiny faced by John Eastman, a former Trump lawyer who was central to Trump's unsuccessful efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss.

One of the biggest challenges facing Meloni is the arrest of Italian journalist Cecilia Sala in Iran on Dec. 19.

Sala was detained three days after Mohammad Abedini, an Iranian businessman, was arrested at Milan's Malpensa airport on a US warrant for allegedly supplying drone parts that Washington says were used in a 2023 attack that killed three US service members near the Syrian-Jordanian border. Iran has denied involvement in the attack.

On Friday, Iran's foreign ministry summoned Italy's ambassador over Abedini's detention, Iranian state media reported.

Meloni became the latest in the handful of foreign leaders who have visited Trump in Florida since the Nov. 5 election. He has met with Argentinian President Javier Milei, Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.