Ukraine鈥檚 president warned Tuesday that Russia鈥檚 just concluded 鈥渟ham referendums鈥� and attempts to annex Ukrainian territory rule out any talks with Moscow as long as Vladimir Putin remains president, and called for Russia鈥檚 鈥渃omplete isolation鈥� and tough new global sanctions.
Speaking to the UN Security Council by video link over Russian objections, Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged additional military and financial support to defend Ukraine 鈥渟o the aggressor would lose,鈥� and 鈥渃lear and legally binding guarantees of collective security鈥� for his country in response to Russia鈥檚 latest grab for Ukrainian territory.
The referendums, denounced by Kyiv and its Western allies as rigged, took place in the Russian-controlled Luhansk and Kherson regions, and in occupied areas of the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions. They are widely viewed as a pretext for announcements that Russia is annexing the territories, just as it annexed Crimea in 2014.
Pro-Moscow officials said later Tuesday that residents in all four occupied areas of Ukraine voted to join Russia, a likely prelude to annexations possibly within days that would set the stage for a new and potentially more dangerous phase in the seven-month war following Russia鈥檚 Feb. 24 invasion of its smaller neighbour.
Ukraine called the emergency meeting of the Security Council to respond to the referendums, and the expected annexation announcements from Russia.
鈥淎ny annexation in the modern world is a crime, a crime against all states that consider the inviolability of border to be vital for themselves,鈥� Zelenskyy said.
He accused Russia of destroying 鈥渢he main body of international law,鈥� and responding to 鈥渁ny proposals for talks with a new brutality on the battlefield, with even greater crisis and threats to Ukraine and the world.鈥�
鈥淩ussia鈥檚 recognition of these sham referenda as normal, the implementation of the so-called Crimean scenario and another attempt to annex Ukrainian territory, will mean that there is nothing to talk about with this president of Russia,鈥� Zelenskyy said. 鈥淎nnexation is the kind of move that puts him alone against the whole of humanity.鈥�
Many Security Council members denounced the referendums and stressed that any annexation of territory would never be recognized.
UN political chief Rosemary DiCarlo said voting on the referendums took place in polling centres and 鈥渄e facto authorities accompanied by soldiers also went door-to-door with ballot boxes."
鈥淭hey cannot be called a genuine expression of the popular will," she told the council. 鈥淯nilateral actions aimed to provide a veneer of legitimacy to the attempted acquisition by force by one state of another state's territory, while claiming to represent the will of the people, cannot be regarded as legal under international law."
Britain's deputy ambassador, James Kariuki, called the referendums 鈥渋llegal and illegitimate" and a violation of the Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and the principles of the UN Charter.
Albanian Ambassador Ferit Hoxha said the referendums are a replay of the script Russia used in Crimea, are against the Ukrainian constitution and 鈥渉ave nothing to do with democracy, nothing to do with free will of Ukrainians."
U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield announced that the U.S. and Albania will soon circulate a Security Council resolution that would condemn 鈥渢he sham referenda,鈥� call on all countries not to recognize any altered status to Ukraine, and demand an immediate withdrawal of Russian troops from the country.
The resolution is certain to face a Russian veto, 鈥渂ut we鈥檙e hoping to see the rest of the council stand strong and refusing to accept the redrawing,鈥� she said.
The U.S. ambassador said she expects a Security Council vote on the resolution late this week or early next week.
Thomas-Greenfield said if Russia does use its veto, the U.S. and Albania will take the resolution to the 193-member UN General Assembly, where there are no vetoes, 鈥渢o send an unmistakable message to Moscow.鈥�
The assembly overwhelmingly adopted two resolutions in March, with support from about 140 countries, demanding an immediate end to Russia鈥檚 military operation and withdrawal of its forces, and blaming Moscow for the humanitarian crisis that has now hit many countries especially in the developing world with food and energy shortages, higher prices and rising inflation.
Explaining why the U.S. was moving ahead with the resolution, Thomas-Greenfield quoted U.S. President Joe Biden speaking to the annual meeting of world leaders at the General Assembly last week and saying 鈥渋f nations can pursue their imperial ambitions without consequences, then we put at risk everything that this institution stands for everything.鈥�
Russia鈥檚 UN ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, claimed that 100 independent international observers from 40 countries observed the referendums, 鈥渁nd they were particularly surprised by the enthusiasm of the people.鈥�
He accused Ukrainian forces of using Western 鈥渕ilitary might鈥� in stepping up artillery strikes and shelling towns where there was a referendum 鈥渢o sow panic among citizens and to make vain attempts to undermine the vote.鈥�
Nebenzia claimed the West鈥檚 aim in supporting Ukraine and coming up to Russia鈥檚 borders 鈥渋s to weaken and bleed dry Russia as much as possible."
鈥淭heir dream is to break up Russia and subject it to its own will,鈥� he said.
Alluding to the possibility of more referendums and annexations, he called the situation in Ukraine 鈥渄ire鈥� and claimed Kyiv had been rejected not only by the people of Crimea and Donbass but the Kherson and Zhaporizhzhia regions.
鈥淭his process is going to continue if Kyiv does not recognize its mistake and its strategic errors and doesn鈥檛 start to be guided by the interests of its own people, and not blindly carry out the will of those people who are playing them,鈥� Nebenzia said.
Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador, responded, 鈥淚 have no doubts in my mind that they will attempt to do it."
She reiterated Biden's unwavering support for Ukraine, saying 鈥渢hat's why it鈥檚 so important that we stand against this immediately -- and that we will do.鈥�
