Zelenskiy Appeals To Security Council For Action To Stop Russian Attacks On Infrastructure
According to RFE/RL, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has appealed to the UN Security Council to take action to stop Russian air strikes targeting infrastructure in his country after another massive Russian missile attack on November 23 killed six people and left Ukrainian cities in the cold and dark.
"Today is just one day but we have received 70 missiles. That's the Russian formula of terror," Zelenskiy told the council meeting in New York via video link. Hospitals, schools, transport infrastructure, and residential areas had all been hit in the strike, he said, adding that Ukraine is waiting to see "a very firm reaction" from the world.
"We cannot be hostage to one international terrorist," he said. "Russia is doing everything to make an energy generator a more powerful tool than the UN Charter."
Zelenskiy called for Russia to be denied a vote on any decision concerning its actions.
U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Russian President Vladimir Putin was "clearly weaponizing winter to inflict immense suffering on the Ukrainian people."
The Russian president "will try to freeze the country into submission," she added.
Russian Ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzya responded by complaining that it was against council rules for Zelenskiy to appear in a video link and rejected what he called "reckless threats and ultimatums" by Ukraine and its supporters in the West.
Nebenzya said damage to Ukraine's infrastructure was caused by missiles fired by air-defens systems that crashed into civilian areas and called on the West to stop providing Ukraine with air-defense missiles.
The Security Council is unlikely to take any action in response to Ukraine's appeal since Russia is a permanent member with veto power.
Earlier on November 23, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Russia should be recognized as a terrorist state throughout the world after the massive missile attack.
Kuleba said the latest barrage of missiles should make clear to any country still in doubt that "Russia must be recognized as [a] terrorist state worldwide and Ukraine must get all necessary air defense systems ASAP."
