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UN | Secretary-General's opening remarks at press encounter with Russian Foreign Minister, 26 Mar
I had a very frank discussion with the Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, and it is clear that there are two different positions on what is happening in Ukraine.  
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According to the UN, in line with the resolutions passed by the General Assembly, Russia's invasion of Ukraine is a violation of its territorial integrity and against the Charter of the United Nations.

But it is my deep conviction that the sooner we end this war, the better - for the people of Ukraine, for the people of the Russian Federation, and those far beyond.  

The United Nations has repeatedly called for ceasefires to protect civilians and to facilitate a political dialogue to reach a solution. So far, that has not been possible.
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My proposal is for a coordinated work of the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the Ukrainian and Russian Federation forces to enable the safe evacuation of those civilians who want to leave, both inside the Azovstal plant and in the city, in any direction they chose, and to deliver the humanitarian aid required. This is not just about what is happening in Ukraine, as we are seeing shock waves around the world.
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We need a world that is multipolar, with multilateral institutions, and those multilateral institutions must abide by the UN Charter and by international law - and by the UN Charter and by international law, recognizing full equality among States, they hopefully will be an instrument that will allow us, once again, to come together as humankind and address the dramatic challenges we face, from climate change to epidemics and to many others, and in which the only war we should have would be a war of those that put the planet at risk.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the RF | Speech and answers to media questions by Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov during a joint press conference following talks with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Moscow, April 26, 2022
We had intense negotiations. We talked about many of the problems facing the UN. There is work that continues on Syria, on Libya. We must not forget the Middle East settlement. This is one of the oldest conflicts in the world, which, contrary to the resolutions of the Security Council, is moving further and further away from its solution.

For obvious reasons, the focus was on the situation on the European continent in the context of what is happening in Ukraine, the DPR and LPR. The situation there has developed not today and not yesterday. We are grateful to the Secretary General and his team for their understanding of the need to consider the situation in Ukraine and around it not in isolation from the processes on the world stage, but in the context of trends that are accumulating and far from always go in line with the ideals of the UN, the principles enshrined in the Charter UN. Today I spoke in detail to our colleague and friend A. Guterres that we see how this situation has accumulated to a large extent. In a decisive context, this happened as a result of the course taken by our American colleagues and their allies for the unlimited expansion of NATO, the establishment of a unipolar world.
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Of course, we talked about the fate of the UN as a whole. About the attempts of our Western colleagues to take the discussion of key issues beyond the framework of universal formats under the auspices of the UN and its system, to "produce" various partnerships, appeals that are presented as a "club of advanced workers", a "club of the elite". In the same vein, there is an initiative put forward by France and Germany - the "Alliance of Multilateralists". What is this if not competition with the UN? Or the initiative of the United States, which in 2021 held a "summit of democracies", where they issued an invitation on their own, without consulting anyone. This also drew the attention of our interlocutors today. This is, in general, a dangerous "bell" for the UN, an attempt to cross out the basic rules and principles of the UN Charter. Namely, that the Organization was created on the basis of the sovereign equality of states. This is written in the UN Charter. This needs to be reminded. We will do this more often so that no one in New York or in the capitals of the member countries forgets about it. ...

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin's Regular Press Conference on April 26, 2022
AFP: The Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said there is a real threat of a third World War breaking out following his country's invasion of Ukraine. Does China share Mr. Lavrov's view on that? And what preparations is China taking in case the scope of the war grows larger?
Wang Wenbin: No one wants to see the outbreak of a third world war. We hope that relevant parties can keep cool-headed and exercise restraint, prevent escalation of tension, realize peace as soon as possible and avoid inflicting a heavier price on Europe and the world. Under the current circumstances, all parties should, first and foremost, support dialogue and negotiation to prevent the expansion and prolongation of conflicts. At the same time, we should reflect on why Europe has again got caught up in the geopolitical conflict more than 30 years after the end of the Cold War, on how to build a balanced, effective and sustainable European security architecture, and on how to strengthen the global security governance system.

by Cat on Tue Apr 26th, 2022 at 07:49:36 PM EST

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