The first unified position
When asked about what prompted Russia, which has been obstructing the Security Council since February, to approve the text, a diplomat told AFP that “the most important thing in the text has been withdrawn.”
The approved statement reflects a unified position for the first time by the Security Council since February 24. Shortly after the outbreak of the war, Russia vetoed a resolution condemning it and demanding that it withdraw its army from Ukraine.
Immediately after the statement was issued, Guterres welcomed it, saying, “Today, for the first time, the Security Council has spoken with one voice for peace in Ukraine.” “As I have said repeatedly, the world must unite to silence the guns and uphold the values of the United Nations Charter,” he added, stressing that he will continue to do everything in his power to save lives, reduce suffering, and find a path to peace.
Mexico’s ambassador to the United Nations, Juan Ramon de la Fuente, considered the issuance of the resolution “a first step (…) in the right direction,” adding, “It is encouraging to see diplomacy take its place in the Security Council.”
Guterres is back in the area
The United Nations announced Friday that Guterres will return to the region on Monday and Tuesday and visit Moldova, which hosts nearly half a million Ukrainian refugees. “We continue to explore ways to bring parties to conflict together within a sustainable and coherent mechanism” to discuss “humanitarian issues through a humanitarian liaison group,” said spokesman Stephane Dujarric.
Zelensky is ready for dialogue
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that the city of Mariupol had been “completely destroyed” and that Russia was left with nothing but the steel industry complex to tighten its control over it.
“You have to understand that Mariupol will never fall,” he said. “It is already destroyed, there is no more building, everything is completely destroyed,” adding that there is still “this little building, the complex of the Azovstal steel plant, or what is left.” from him”.
In a speech during a meeting of think tank “Chatham House” in London, the Ukrainian president said that he remains open to negotiations with Russia, only in the event that Moscow withdraws its forces to pre-invasion positions.
He added that “restoring the situation to what it was on February 23, the day before the invasion, is a prerequisite for negotiation.” “In this case, we will be able to discuss things normally,” and Ukraine will be able to use “diplomacy” to regain its territory.
Doomsday message
And Archyde.com news agency said in a report that Russian President Vladimir Putin will issue a “doomsday” warning to the West when he leads next Monday’s celebrations of the 77th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet Union over Nazi Germany, where he will display Russia’s formidable firepower.
It is expected that Putin will overlook his supporters in Red Square, as has been the case in past years, before a parade of soldiers, tanks and intercontinental ballistic missiles.