Ukraine war latest: Ukraine’s Zelensky says UN incapable of stopping Putin’s ‘criminal aggression’

Ukraine’s President Zelensky has repeated his call for reform of the UN’s general assembly and security council to end the war.

“574 days of pain, losses, and struggle have already passed since the start of the full-scale aggression launched by the state, which, for some reason, is still present here among the permanent UNSC members,” he wrote on social media.

In a long thread he wrote: “All in the world see what makes the UN incapable. This seat in the Security Council, which Russia occupied illegally, through backstage manipulations following the collapse of the USSR, has been taken by liars whose job is to whitewash Russia’s ongoing aggression and genocide…

“Veto power in the hands of the aggressor is what has pushed the UN into a dead end…

“Humankind no longer pins its hopes on the UN when it comes to the defence of the sovereign borders of nations.”

His proposals included expanding membership of the security council to include Germany and the African Union, among others.

He said the epicentre of efforts to protect territorial integrity and sovereignty and human rights, as well as preventing aggression and genocide should be in UN’s general assembly and security council.

“If reform of UN institutions is necessary for this, then we should not be afraid of it. We are ready to work together with UN members who joined the Peace Formula on draft resolutions and amendments to the UN Charter.”

The council has met dozens of times since Russia invaded Ukraine, but it has been unable to take any action because Moscow holds a veto.

All eyes were on the potential of a face-off between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov across the UN Security Council’s horse-shaped table.

But it was a near-miss as Zelensky left before Lavrov arrived.

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky’s comments on a ban of grain imports by Poland, Hungary and Slovakia have angered the government in Warsaw.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Kyiv was working to preserve land routes for grain exports, but added that the “political theatre” around grain imports was only helping Moscow.

Poland’s foreign ministry said Deputy Foreign Minister Pawel Jablonski had conveyed the Polish side’s strong protest against the statement, alleging that some EU countries feigned solidarity while indirectly supporting Russia.

More on Hungary, Poland and Slovakia banning the grain imports here:

Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky received an applause lasting around 30 seconds after giving his speech before the UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday.

Zelensky was invited to the address the delegates, who reacted warmly with the long applause.

A number of defective German tanks have been rejected by Ukraine after they were discovered not to be working properly.

Ten Leopard 1 tanks were returned after the Ukrainian army noticed they had “serious technical issues” on delivery to Rzeszów, Poland, in July, according to German newspaper Der Spiegel.

Germany says they will need further repairs before being used in Ukraine.

The main interest during the meeting in New York yesterday was Ukrain’s president Volodymyr Zelensky, it being the first time he had attended a UN Security Council meeting in person since Russia invaded Ukraine in Feburary, 2022.

In brief, here’s what was said:

Zelensky: “Unfortunately, this seat in the Security Council, which Russia occupies illegally, through backstage manipulations following the collapse of the Soviet Union, has been taken by liars whose job is to whitewash the aggression and the genocide being carried on by Russia.”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken: “President Putin is betting that if he keeps doubling down on the violence, that if he’s willing to inflict enough suffering on enough people, the world will cave on its principles and Ukraine will stop defending itself.”

Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov: “Today, the West turns selectively to norms and principles (on) a case-by-case basis exclusively based on their parochial geopolitical needs. This has resulted in a shaking of global stability as well as the exacerbation and the fomenting of new hotbeds of tension, (and) risks of global conflict.”

China’s vice foreign minsiter Ma Zhaoxu: “The Ukraine crisis has dealt a heavy blow to world economic recovery and global development and severely affected the world food, energy and financial security. Developing countries are the first to bear the blunt. Relevant countries should stop abusing unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction and protect the security and the smooth operation of global production and supply chains.”

Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky used his address to the UN Security Council to call for reform of the body to help end Russia’s war with his country.

Speaking to the 15-member council, Mr Zelensky said: “Humankind no longer pins its hopes on the UN when it comes to the defence of the sovereign border of nations.”

Despite meeting dozens of times since Russia invaded Ukraine in Febuary last year, the body has been unable to take any action because Moscow holds a veto.

Zelensky’s proposals include expanding membership of the security council to include Germany and the African Union, among others.

It comes ahead of talks with UK president Joe Biden in Washington on Thursday – a meeting where Zelensky will be hoping to secure financial support for the war.

Read more on Zelensky’s speech here:

A United Nations expert has urged the US to reconsider its decision to supply Ukraine with cluster munitions, saying they could harm civilians even decades after the end of the conflict.

In her letter to the US government, Alice Jill Edwards, a UN Special Rapporteur, said that cluster munitions “indiscriminately and seriously injure civilians both at the time of use and in post-conflict” and should not be used.

“I respectfully urge Your Excellency’s Government to reconsider the decision to transfer cluster munitions and to halt any plan towards the implementation of such decision,” Ms Edwards wrote.

The publication of the letter comes days after US officials said the Biden administration was close to approving the shipment of longer-range missiles packed with cluster bombs to Ukraine to give Kyiv the ability to cause significant damage deeper within Russian-occupied territory.

Cluster munitions are prohibited by more than 100 countries.

A dispute about whether Ukrainian grain should be allowed to enter the domestic markets of Poland and other European Union countries has pushed the tight relationship between Kyiv and Warsaw to its lowest point since Russia invaded Ukraine last year:

Russian forces have shelled the city of Toretsk in eastern Ukraine, killing four people, the Ukrainian General Prosecutor’s Office said.

The office, in a report on the Telegram messaging app, said that two people had died inside the city and two more in the adjacent town of Pivnichne.