United Nations (EFE).- The Secretary General of the UN, António Guterres, denounced the illegal nature of the invasion of Ukraine and the devastating effects it is having, in a speech at a meeting of the Security Council that today is chaired by the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
“The Russian invasion of Ukraine, in violation of the United Nations Charter and international law, is causing massive suffering and devastation in the country and its population,” Guterres said, adding that the conflict is further worsening the global economic problems unleashed by the pandemic.
The head of the UN opened with his intervention a special debate convened by Russia taking advantage of his current presidency of the Security Council, in which Lavrov is expected to charge against the United States and its allies and defend his theses on Ukraine.
The Russian Foreign Minister also plans to hold a bilateral meeting with Guterres today, at a time when the continuity of the Black Sea Agreement is in doubt, which facilitates the export of Ukrainian grain and which has been one of the main initiatives of United Nations in the framework of the war.
On Tuesday, Lavrov will chair another meeting of the UN Security Council, in this case dedicated to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Lavrov charges against the West
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov lashed out at the West at the UN Security Council, accusing the United States and its allies of having placed the world at an extremely dangerous juncture.
“As was the case during the Cold War, we have reached a dangerous threshold, perhaps even more dangerous,” said Lavrov, who accused Western powers of “destroying the benefits of globalization” with “economic aggression” and of seeking impose their policies on the rest of the world by force.
“Nobody gave permission to the Western minority to speak on behalf of all humanity,” insisted the head of Russian diplomacy, who is chairing today a special meeting of the Security Council convened by his country and dedicated to multilateralism.