More than 50 partner countries condemned Russia’s Saturday attack on Ukraine at the UN, warning that Moscow had reached “a new and appalling level of aggression” by intensifying strikes on civilians and civilian infrastructure.
The joint statement was delivered on Tuesday by Ukraine’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Andrii Melnyk, on behalf of Ukraine, the European Union and a broad group of allied states including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Poland, the UK, the Baltic states and others.
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The statement followed a massive overnight barrage on May 23-24, when Russian forces launched hundreds of aerial weapons, including ballistic and cruise missiles and drones, against Ukrainian cities and regions.
“For the city of Kyiv, this was one of the most devastating attacks recorded to date,” the statement said, adding that many other regions were also severely affected and that civilians were killed and injured across Ukraine.
A central focus of the statement was Russia’s use of an Oreshnik medium-range ballistic missile against the city of Bila Tserkva.
The coalition said the Oreshnik system is specifically designed to carry nuclear warheads, warning that Russia’s repeated use of nuclear-capable missiles constituted an “unacceptable escalation.”
The countries strongly condemned Russia’s escalating attacks, saying strikes on civilians, civilian objects and Ukraine’s critical energy infrastructure were grave violations of international humanitarian law and must stop immediately.
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