‘Russia should cease the war immediately,’ says Turkey’s envoy to the UN

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Feridun Sinirlioğlu, the Permanent Representative of Turkey to the United Nations (UN), spoke at the UN General Assembly session on Ukraine.

Referring to the Russia-Ukraine war, which broke out after Russia's invasion of its neighbor on February 24, Sinirlioğlu said that the Ukraine war is a "war without victors", as reported by the state-run AA.

Sinirlioğlu further remarked that the war is the result of the "blatant violation" of international humanitarian law by Russia, which he called "unacceptable". He reiterated: "It is a war without victors.​ A war which should have never started.​ A war which should cease immediately".

Referring to the fighting in the besieged city of Mariupol, he described the situation as "heart-breaking", saying that "the victims of this violence are innocent people, first and foremost women and children".

He noted that 40 million Ukrainians are suffering inside their country and "they need our help," adding that 10 million others have been displaced.​

"For our part, we will not give up on our brothers and sisters in Ukraine," said the envoy: "As the host country to the largest refugee population in the world, we know what it means to flee the horrors of war".

Sinirlioğlu also asked for support for a draft resolution, "Humanitarian consequences of the aggression against Ukraine," "in the spirit of the founders of the United Nations, in our common quest for peace and respect for human rights, and, in our shared duty to humanity".

"We must act now, for this is, in the truest sense of the word, a matter of life and death," added Turkey's envoy to the UN further.

What happened?

Earlier on February 24, explosions were reported in several Ukrainian provinces, including the capital Kyiv, after Russia's President Vladimir Putin announced a 'special military operation' in the Donbas region.

Tensions had started escalating late last year when Ukraine, the US and its allies accused Russia of amassing tens of thousands of troops on the border with Ukraine. They claimed Russia was preparing to invade its western neighbor, which was consistently rejected by Moscow.

Defying threats of sanctions by the West, Moscow officially recognized Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states in late February, followed by the start of a military operation in Ukraine on February 24.

President Vladimir Putin said the operation aims to protect people "subjected to genocide" by Kyiv and to "demilitarize and de-Nazify" Ukraine, while calling on the Ukrainian army to lay down its arms.

CLICK - bianet news on Russia's invasion of Ukraine

The Russia-Ukraine war, which started on February 24 with the invasion of Russia has drawn international condemnation, led to financial restrictions on Moscow, and spurred an exodus of global firms from Russia.

At least 925 civilians have been killed in Ukraine, while nearly 1,500 others have been injured, according to the UN estimates. Over 3.5 million people have also fled to neighboring countries. (AEK/SD)