UN Security Council members call for emergency Ukraine meeting

The United States, Britain, France, Albania, Norway and Ireland have requested an emergency UN Security Council meeting Thursday because of the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Ukraine, diplomatic sources said.

“Russia is committing war crimes and targeting civilians,” the British diplomatic mission to the UN said Wednesday on its Twitter account. “Russia’s illegal war on Ukraine is a threat to us all.”

Earlier in the day, Russia asked to again postpone a UN Security Council vote on a resolution it drafted about the “humanitarian” situation in Ukraine.

The vote, first scheduled for Wednesday and then pushed to Thursday afternoon, is to be set for Friday morning — unless the draft is dropped altogether due to lack of support from Moscow’s allies.

Discussions are also underway, according to other diplomatic sources, to allow Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to speak to the United Nations General Assembly.

France and Mexico, which drafted a resolution calling for a “cessation of hostilities” in Ukraine, have given up presenting their text to the Security Council, where Russia — which holds the rotating presidency for March — can veto it.

They were instead to present it to the General Assembly, where no country alone can block a text.

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On February 25, the day after Russia attacked its neighbour, 11 of the Security Council’s 15 members voted in favour of a text condemning the military operation, although Russia vetoed it.

On March 2, the General Assembly massively approved a resolution condemning Russia’s military operation. That resolution received 141 votes in favour, five votes against and 35 abstentions.

US President Joe Biden condemned Vladimir Putin as a “war criminal” Wednesday, while the International Court of Justice (ICJ) — the UN’s highest court — ordered Russia to suspend its military operations in Ukraine.

• Europe