Ukraine Seeks Russia’s Expulsion From UN Body Over War Crimes Allegations
KYIV/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky urged the world to expel Russia from the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) after outlining Moscow’s alleged atrocities in his nation.
Zelensky’s appeal followed an emotionally charged address through a video link to the UNSC in which he claimed Russia carried out the worst crimes since World War Two.
The Ukrainian leader said civilians had been murdered and Russian tanks had crushed people “for pleasure.” He called for those responsible to be tried as Nazis were at Nuremberg.
Russia vehemently denied the accusations calling pictures of dead bodies “fake.” Horrific images of bodies lying in the street in towns such as Bucha near Kyiv, the capital, have generated condemnation worldwide.
Zelensky showed a graphic video of images of dead Ukrainians, some burned and disfigured.
“The Russian military searched for and purposefully killed anyone who served our country,” he said. “They killed entire families, adults, and children, and they tried to burn the bodies.”
Continuing his U.N. remarks in a separate post on his Facebook page, the president said Russia should be removed from the panel, where it wields veto power. He argued that Russia’s role at the U.N. is “to block everything constructive and use global architecture in order to spread lies and justify the evil it does.”
CRUCIAL MOMENT
“Now is a crucial moment, especially for Western leaders,” he said, adding that the next round of sanctions against Russia should be “commensurate with the gravity of the occupiers’ war crimes.”
He added that Ukraine was due to be visited by the European Union’s executive European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The EU’s head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, was also to arrive in the coming days.
“Now Kyiv is the capital of global democracy, the capital of the struggle for freedom for all on the European continent,” Zelensky stressed.
Despite global outrage, there were no signs the war would end soon, with a U.S. security source telling Worthy News Russia was “regrouping its forces” towards the east of the country.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, he did not rule out that Russia would try another offensive towards the capital Kyiv where it has withdrawn after suffering fierce resistance. He earlier told Worthy News there are as many as 10,000 U.S. military personnel in Ukraine, though the White House denied sending combat troops to the country.
The secretary-general of the NATO military alliance, Jensen Stoltenberg, said Russia is likely to launch a new offensive in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region in the next few weeks.
MORE SANCTIONS
Amid the ongoing turmoil, Washington pledged another $100 million in weapons shipments to Ukraine, saying that the money would go to Javelin anti-armor missiles.
The United States was also due to extend its sanctions against Russia on Wednesday and reportedly target Russian President Vladimir Putin’s two daughters and Russia’s largest bank.
Separately, the European Commission proposed a new round of sanctions against Russia, including a ban on coal imports.
It came as EU nation Spain became the latest EU member to announce the expulsion of Russian diplomats following global outrage over alleged civilian killings by Russian troops.
The war has now displaced more than 7.1 million people in Ukraine, part of more than 10 million people who have fled their homes following the Russian invasion, according to several estimates.
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