Western officials have repeatedly said Russia has been isolated since the invasion of Ukraine in February. Until recently, however, this was largely wishful thinking. But on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, much of the international community spoke out against the conflict in a rare show of unity at the often divided United Nations. The tide already appeared to be turning against Putin even before Thursday’s UN speeches. Chinese and Indian leaders had criticized the war at a high-level summit last week in Uzbekistan. And then the UN General Assembly ignored Russia’s objections and voted overwhelmingly to allow Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to be the only leader to address the body remotely, rather than asking him to appear in person. That turn against Russia accelerated after President Vladimir Putin announced on Wednesday the mobilization of some 300,000 additional troops to Ukraine, signaling an unlikely brief end to the war. Putin also suggested that nuclear weapons might be an option. This followed an announcement of Russia’s intention to hold referendums on independence in several occupied Ukrainian regions with an eye toward possible annexation. These announcements came just as the General Assembly, considered the pinnacle event on the global diplomatic calendar, was taking place in New York. Many world leaders used their speeches on Tuesday and Wednesday to denounce Russia’s war. That trend continued Thursday in both the chamber and the usually deeply divided U.N. Security Council, where, one by one, nearly all 15 members of the council harshly criticized Russia — one member of the council — for exacerbating several already serious problems. global crises and endangering the foundations of the global organization. The story continues The apparent change of heart offers some hope to Ukraine and its Western allies that growing isolation will put pressure on Putin to negotiate a peace. But few are unreasonably optimistic. Putin has staked his legacy on the Ukraine war, and few expect him to back down. And Russia is hardly isolated. Many of its allies depend on it for energy, food and military aid and are likely to stand by Putin regardless of what happens in Ukraine. However, it was striking to hear by name friends of Russia such as China and India, following last week’s statements, speak of serious concerns about the conflict and its impact on global food and energy shortages, as and threats to the concepts of sovereignty and sovereignty and territorial integrity enshrined in the UN Charter. Brazil expressed similar concerns. Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa make up the so-called BRICS bloc of countries, which has often avoided or flatly opposed Western initiatives and views on international relations. Only one country, Belarus, a non-member of the Council and a Russian ally invited to participate, spoke in support of Russia but also called for a swift end to the fighting, which it called a “tragedy.” “We hear a lot about divisions between countries at the United Nations,” Foreign Secretary Anthony Blinken said. “But recently, what is striking is the remarkable unity among member states regarding Russia’s war in Ukraine. Leaders from developing and developed countries, large and small, North and South spoke to the General Assembly about the consequences of war and the need to end it.” “Even some nations that maintain close ties to Moscow have publicly stated that they have serious questions and concerns about President Putin’s continued incursion,” Blinken said. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was careful not to condemn the war, but said China’s firm position is that “the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries should be respected. The purposes of the principles of the United Nations Charter must be respected.” Indian Foreign Minister S. Jayashankar said that “the trajectory of the conflict in Ukraine is of deep concern to the international community.” He called for accountability for the atrocities and abuses committed in Ukraine. “If the blatant attacks committed in broad daylight go unpunished, this council needs to think about the messages we are sending about impunity. There has to be consistency if we want to ensure credibility,” he said. And Brazilian Foreign Minister Carlos Alberto Franca said immediate efforts to end the war were critical. “Continuing hostilities endangers the lives of innocent civilians and jeopardizes the food and energy security of millions of families in other regions, especially in developing countries,” he said. “The risks of escalation arising from the current dynamics of the conflict are simply too great and its consequences for the world order unpredictable.” Foreign ministers and senior officials from Albania, Britain, France, Ireland, Gabon, Germany, Ghana, Kenya, Mexico and Norway voiced similar rebukes. “Russia’s actions are a flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter,” Albanian Foreign Minister Olta Xhacka said. “We all tried to prevent this conflict. We could not, but we must not, fail to hold Russia accountable.” Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Embrad called the invasion “a flagrant violation of international law” and Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said: “If we fail to hold Russia accountable, we send a message to major countries that they can plunder their neighbors with impunity.” As expected, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was not apologetic and defensive at the same time, and took particular aim at Zelensky. Invoking a phrase often attributed to President Franklin Roosevelt, Lavrov called Zelensky a “bastard” but said Western leaders considered him “our bastard.” He repeated a long list of Russian grievances about Ukraine and accused Western countries of using Ukraine for anti-Russian activities and policies. “Everything I said today just confirms that the decision to carry out the special military operation was inevitable,” Lavrov said, following the Russian practice of not calling the invasion a war. Russia has denied it has been isolated, and the foreign ministry has taken to social media to publicize a series of apparently cordial meetings Lavrov has had with fellow foreign ministers at the UN in recent days. But Blinken and his colleagues from other NATO nations have seized on what they believe is growing opposition and impatience with Putin. And, several speakers, including Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and British Foreign Secretary James Cleverley, pointed out that Lavrov skipped the meeting except for his speaking slot. “I notice that Russian diplomats are leaving almost as fast as Russian soldiers,” Kuleba said, referring to Lavrov’s hasty exit along with recent Russian troop retreats in Ukraine.


title: “Global Opinion Is Turning Against Russia As Ukraine Concerns Grow " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-04” author: “John Johnson”


Western officials have repeatedly said Russia has been isolated since the invasion of Ukraine in February. Until recently, however, this was largely wishful thinking. But on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, much of the international community spoke out against the conflict in a rare show of unity at the often divided United Nations. The tide already appeared to be turning against Putin even before Thursday’s UN speeches. Chinese and Indian leaders had criticized the war at a high-level summit last week in Uzbekistan. And then the UN General Assembly ignored Russia’s objections and voted overwhelmingly to allow Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to be the only leader to address the body remotely, rather than asking him to appear in person. That turn against Russia accelerated after President Vladimir Putin announced on Wednesday the mobilization of some 300,000 additional troops to Ukraine, signaling an unlikely brief end to the war. Putin also suggested that nuclear weapons might be an option. This followed an announcement of Russia’s intention to hold referendums on independence in several occupied Ukrainian regions with an eye toward possible annexation. These announcements came just as the General Assembly, considered the pinnacle event on the global diplomatic calendar, was taking place in New York. Many world leaders used their speeches on Tuesday and Wednesday to denounce Russia’s war. That trend continued Thursday in both the chamber and the usually deeply divided U.N. Security Council, where, one by one, nearly all 15 members of the council harshly criticized Russia — one member of the council — for exacerbating several already serious problems. global crises and endangering the foundations of the global organization. The apparent change of heart offers some hope to Ukraine and its Western allies that growing isolation will put pressure on Putin to negotiate a peace. But few are unreasonably optimistic. Putin has staked his legacy on the Ukraine war, and few expect him to back down. And Russia is hardly isolated. Many of its allies depend on it for energy, food and military aid and are likely to stand by Putin regardless of what happens in Ukraine. However, it was striking to hear by name friends of Russia such as China and India, following last week’s statements, speak of serious concerns about the conflict and its impact on global food and energy shortages, as and threats to the concepts of sovereignty and sovereignty and territorial integrity enshrined in the UN Charter. Brazil expressed similar concerns. Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa make up the so-called BRICS bloc of countries, which has often avoided or flatly opposed Western initiatives and views on international relations. Only one country, Belarus, a non-member of the Council and a Russian ally invited to participate, spoke in support of Russia but also called for a swift end to the fighting, which it called a “tragedy.” “We hear a lot about divisions between countries at the United Nations,” Foreign Secretary Anthony Blinken said. “But recently, what is striking is the remarkable unity among member states regarding Russia’s war in Ukraine. Leaders from developing and developed countries, large and small, North and South spoke to the General Assembly about the consequences of war and the need to end it.” “Even some nations that maintain close ties to Moscow have publicly stated that they have serious questions and concerns about President Putin’s continued incursion,” Blinken said. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was careful not to condemn the war, but said China’s firm position is that “the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries should be respected. The purposes of the principles of the United Nations Charter must be respected.” Indian Foreign Minister S. Jayashankar said that “the trajectory of the conflict in Ukraine is of deep concern to the international community.” He called for accountability for the atrocities and abuses committed in Ukraine. “If the blatant attacks committed in broad daylight go unpunished, this council needs to think about the messages we are sending about impunity. There has to be consistency if we want to ensure credibility,” he said. And Brazilian Foreign Minister Carlos Alberto Franca said immediate efforts to end the war were critical. “Continuing hostilities endangers the lives of innocent civilians and jeopardizes the food and energy security of millions of families in other regions, especially in developing countries,” he said. “The risks of escalation arising from the current dynamics of the conflict are simply too great and its consequences for the world order unpredictable.” Foreign ministers and senior officials from Albania, Britain, France, Ireland, Gabon, Germany, Ghana, Kenya, Mexico and Norway voiced similar rebukes. “Russia’s actions are a flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter,” Albanian Foreign Minister Olta Xhacka said. “We all tried to prevent this conflict. We could not, but we must not, fail to hold Russia accountable.” Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Embrad called the invasion “a flagrant violation of international law” and Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said: “If we fail to hold Russia accountable, we send a message to major countries that they can plunder their neighbors with impunity.” As expected, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was not apologetic and defensive at the same time, and took particular aim at Zelensky. Invoking a phrase often attributed to President Franklin Roosevelt, Lavrov called Zelensky a “bastard” but said Western leaders considered him “our bastard.” He repeated a long list of Russian grievances about Ukraine and accused Western countries of using Ukraine for anti-Russian activities and policies. “Everything I said today just confirms that the decision to carry out the special military operation was inevitable,” Lavrov said, following the Russian practice of not calling the invasion a war. Russia has denied it has been isolated, and the foreign ministry has taken to social media to publicize a series of apparently cordial meetings Lavrov has had with fellow foreign ministers at the UN in recent days. But Blinken and his colleagues from other NATO nations have seized on what they believe is growing opposition and impatience with Putin. And, several speakers, including Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and British Foreign Secretary James Cleverley, pointed out that Lavrov skipped the meeting except for his speaking slot. “I notice that Russian diplomats are leaving almost as fast as Russian soldiers,” Kuleba said, referring to Lavrov’s hasty exit along with recent Russian troop retreats in Ukraine.