On the anniversary of the start of Russia’s war against Ukraine, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday called on the international community not to let Russian President Vladimir Putin’s crimes “become our new normal” – and seemed to tacitly downplay a proposal by Beijing to bring an end to the war.
In his remarks at the UN Security Council – just over a year after he told the United Nations Security Council that Russia was preparing to invade Ukraine – Blinken stressed the need for members of the council, which includes China and Russia, to stand for “the basic principles” of international order, describing the ways that they could do so.
Blinken catalogued a litany of horrific actions committed by Russia over the past year, and spoke of the “inspiring unity” shown by Ukrainians “in helping one another endure Moscow’s relentless assault.” He also spoke about the way “the international community has come together.”
“Nations around the world continue to stand with Ukraine, because we all recognize that if we abandon Ukraine, we abandon the UN Charter itself, and the principles and rules that make all our countries safer and more secure: No seizing land by force. No erasing another country’s borders. No targeting civilians in war,” Blinken said. “If we do not defend these basic principles, we invite a world in which might makes right, the strong dominate the weak.”
This story is breaking and will be updated.
Read the full article here