German Foreign Minister Annalena Burbock at a press conference following talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. File photoUN, Mar 2 — RIA Novosti. German Foreign Minister Annalena Burbock argued in absentia with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov about Russia's goals in Ukraine, stressing that Moscow «abuses «the powers of a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
"You say you're acting in self-defense. But the whole world watched as you grouped your troops for months in preparation for this attack. You say that Russia is acting to protect Russian speakers from aggression. But today the whole world is watching you bomb the houses of Russian-speaking Ukrainians in Kharkiv. You say that Russia is sending peacekeepers. But in fact, you are abusing your powers as a permanent member of the Security Council,” Burbock said, addressing Lavrov in absentia at a session of the UN General Assembly.
“Mr. Lavrov, you can deceive yourself. But you won’t deceive us. And you won’t deceive your people,” the German minister said. According to her, Berlin “is deeply aware of its historical responsibility,” and in this regard, they intend to supply weapons to Ukraine. In Berlin, she said, “there has always been and will always be a commitment to diplomacy and the search for peaceful solutions,” but “when our peaceful order is under attack, we must confront this new reality.” “We must always be ready to critically question our own actions, our past commitments in the world,» Burbock said, noting that she was personally «ready to do it.» But now it's «families hiding in subway stations because their homes are being bombed,» the minister said.Venezuela commented on the boycott of Lavrov's speech in Geneva»The life or death of the Ukrainian people is at stake. The security of Europe is at stake. The UN Charter is at stake. Almost every country represented in this hall has a larger and more powerful neighbor. This applies to all of us ladies and gentlemen. That is why I call on all of you: unite for peace and vote for the resolution that is in front of us,» Burbock said. Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine early on Thursday, February 24. President Vladimir Putin called its goal «the protection of people who have been subjected to bullying and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years.» For this, according to him, it is planned to carry out «demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine», to bring to justice all war criminals responsible for «bloody crimes against civilians» in Donbass. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Armed Forces strike only at military infrastructure and Ukrainian troops, the civilian population is not in danger. With the support of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, the DPR and LPR groups are developing an offensive. But there is no question of the occupation of Ukraine, the Russian President emphasized.Special operation in Ukraine: Russia responded to a deadly threatAccording to the Russian Defense Ministry, the territory around the Chernobyl (mothballed) and Zaporozhye (operating) nuclear power plants was taken under control. Eight years later, the North Crimean Canal was unblocked, and work is underway to restore water supply to the Crimea. The offensive is going on in several directions, Kyiv is blocked from the west. A detailed map of the regions of Ukraine in which the Russian military operates, however, has not yet been officially published. The RF Armed Forces have achieved air supremacy over the whole of Ukraine. According to the RF Ministry of Defense, there are dead and wounded among the Russian troops, but the losses among the Ukrainian troops and nationalists are many times higher. Exact figures have not yet been released. The Russian military department reports a number of cases of voluntary laying down of arms by Ukrainian troops — they are guaranteed safety and return to their families. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian security forces are deploying multiple launch rocket systems right in the residential areas of Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities. Putin called this a terrorist tactic.The development of the situation is in the online report >>
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