UNITED NATIONS: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday that the war between Russia and Ukraine cannot be calmed by talks alone, but that Russia must be forced into peace.
Zelensky has sought the support of Western leaders for what he calls a “victory plan” to end the war that began when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of his country in February 2022.
Zelensky said the war would end one day but not because “someone got tired of the war” or through a trade with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a reference to proposals that Ukraine cede some territory seized by Russia to settle the conflict.
“This war can’t be calmed by talks. Action is needed,” Zelensky said, thanking nations who have provided Ukraine support.
“Putin has broken so many international norms and rules that he won’t stop on his own, Russia can only be forced into peace, and that is exactly what’s needed, forcing Russia into peace, as the sole aggressor in this war, the sole violator of the UN Charter,” Zelensky said.
Ukraine faces an uncertain future. A victory by former President Donald Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris in the Nov. 5 US election could prompt a reset of Washington’s policy on Ukraine, which relies heavily on US military and financial support. Opinion polls show a tight race.
Zelensky has said that if his plan is backed by the West, it will have a broad impact on Moscow, including a psychological one that could help compel Putin to end the war diplomatically.
Russian UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia spoke up at the meeting to reject the council hosting Zelensky.
“Western countries could not refrain from poisoning the atmosphere once again, trying to fill the air time with the hackneyed Ukrainian issue,” Nebenzia said of the meeting.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the 15-member council that Russia’s war in Ukraine was a clear violation of the founding UN Charter.
“I strongly condemn all attacks on civilians and civilian facilities – wherever they occur and whoever is responsible. They all must stop immediately,” he said. “And I remain deeply concerned about the safety, humanitarian needs and basic human rights of people residing in occupied areas.”
Ukraine’s Zelensky tells UN Russia must be forced into peace
https://arab.news/693py
Ukraine’s Zelensky tells UN Russia must be forced into peace
- Zelensky has sought the support of Western leaders for what he calls a “victory plan” to end the war
- “This war can’t be calmed by talks. Action is needed,” Zelensky said, thanking nations who have provided Ukraine support
Pakistanis fleeing Iran describe strikes shaking ground under their feet
- Nearly 1,000 students, businessmen and pilgrims have fled Iran since the war started out of a total 35,000 Pakistanis in the country
QUETTA: Pakistanis fleeing Iran described explosions and missile strikes across Tehran shaking the ground under their feet and engulfing buildings in fire and smoke in a city emptied of many of its residents. The conflict has widened sharply, with a US submarine sinking an Iranian warship off Sri Lanka on Wednesday and NATO air defenses destroying an Iranian missile fired toward Turkiye.
Governments have been scrambling to evacuate stranded citizens, with most of the region’s airspace closed due to the risk of missiles hitting passenger planes.
“I was in the classroom when a powerful explosion rocked our university building,” Hareem Zahra, 23, a student at the Tehran University of Engineering, told Reuters after crossing Pakistan’s land border with Iran.
“We saw thick smoke coming from many buildings on fire,” she said, adding Tehran was under attack until the moment she left.
TEHRAN LOOKED DESERTED
Nearly 1,000 students, businessmen and pilgrims have fled Iran since the war started out of a total 35,000 Pakistanis in the country, Mudassir Tipu, Pakistan’s ambassador to Tehran, said.
“There are now serious challenges. As you know there is no Internet in most parts of Iran,” he said. Iran has retaliated with a barrage of ballistic missiles targeting Israel and Washington’s allies in the Gulf, including Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia, following US and Israeli air strikes that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday.
Tehran has looked deserted since the conflict began, said Nadir Abbas, 25, a student of Persian literature at a university in the Iranian capital.
“I saw a drone hit a basketball court where six girl players lost their lives.”
Reuters could not verify his account.
DESTRUCTION EVERYWHERE
Islamabad is walking a diplomatic tightrope as it attempts to maintain warming ties with Washington while expressing solidarity with Iran.
Pakistan is home to the second-largest Shiite population in the world after Iran and being drawn into the conflict could lead to instability at home as well as complications evacuating its citizens.
“The first attack happened right next to my hospital,” said Sakhi Aun Mohammad, a student at Tehran University of Medical Sciences. After he reached the border, an Iranian friend called to check if he was safe, saying: “’Thank God, you have gone to Pakistan, all of you are safe, but your hostel has been attacked’.” A Pakistani diplomat who is still in Tehran said attacks took place every four or five hours, adding one missile struck a building next to his office. “At times you will feel as if something exploded right at your feet,” he said. “The last time I got out was at night. Buildings had collapsed, some others were on fire. There is destruction everywhere.”
He added: “It is almost like a ghost town.”
