The UN firmly rejects Russia’s plans to annex Ukraine’s territories: “It should not be accepted”

The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterreshe has refused this Thursday resoundingly Russian plans to annex four occupied Ukrainian territoriesand has stressed that this move “should not be accepted” and represents “a dangerous escalation” of the conflict: “Any decision to proceed with the annexation of the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia will have no legal value, and deserves to be condemned,” she told reporters.

Guterres has made it clear that the annexations violate the United Nations Charter and go against “everything that the international community must defend.” “It is a dangerous escalation. It has no place in the modern world. It should not be accepted,” Guterres insisted, stressing that the UN is “fully committed to the sovereignty, unity, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine, in its internationally recognized borders”.

Guterres has stressed that the accession referendums organized in the four territories have been carried out during an active armed conflict, under Russian occupation and outside Ukraine’s legal and constitutional framework: “They cannot be considered a genuine expression of the popular will” Guterres stressed, warning that if Moscow goes ahead with its accession plans, the prospects for peace will be further complicated.

Guterres has said that, as secretary general, it is his duty to “defend the Charter of the United Nations”, and has recalled that Russia, as a permanent member of the Security Council, has a special responsibility to respect these principles.

The spokesman for the UN Secretary General, Stéphane Dujarric, has pointed out that Guterres has directly transferred his concern to the Russian ambassador to the UN, Vasili Nebenzia.

The Kremlin has announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin will sign this Friday the treaties for the annexation from the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia regions, following the referendums held in these areas of eastern and southern Ukraine partially controlled by Russian forces.