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Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine An Affront To UN Charter, Biden Tells World Leaders

By RFE/RL September 21, 2022

U.S. President Joe Biden has told world leaders at the United Nations in New York that Russia “has shamelessly violated the core tenets” of the UN Charter with its “brutal, needless war” in Ukraine.

Speaking at the annual UN General Assembly on September 21, the U.S. president said the attempt to “erase a sovereign state from the map" by a member of the UN Security Council is an affront to the heart of what the UN stands for.

Russia's “naked aggression” in Ukraine is about “extinguishing Ukraine's right to exist as a state,” Biden said, adding that reports of abuses allegedly carried out by Russian soldiers against civilians “should make your blood run cold."

In issuing the firm rebuke of Russia's invasion, Biden also reaffirmed U.S. backing for Ukraine's efforts to defend itself.

“We will stand in solidarity against Russia's aggression, period," Biden said.

His speech came hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a partial military mobilization and warned the West that “it's not a bluff” that Russia would use all the means at its disposal to protect its territory.

Biden said Putin's nuclear threats against Europe showed “reckless disregard” for Russia's responsibilities as a signatory to the Treaty On The Non-Proliferation Of Nuclear Weapons.

Biden also responded to plans by Moscow-installed officials in Russian-occupied regions in eastern and southern Ukraine to hold votes on being incorporated into Russia, criticizing them as “sham” referendums.

Biden called on all nations to speak out against Russia's invasion and to bolster's Ukraine effort to defend itself.

With reporting by AFP and AP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/biden-ukraine-invasion- affront-un-assembly-russia/32045006.html

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Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine An Affront To UN Charter, Biden Tells World Leaders