Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has confronted the United Nations calling it to “act immediately” or ‘dissolve itself’ during a blistering address on Tuesday in which he showed distressing footage of dead bodies which he said were victims of Russian atrocities.
Likening Russia’s actions in Bucha and other Ukrainian cities to terrorist attacks by groups like the Islamic State, Zelensky called on the 15-member Security Council to banish Russia “so it cannot block decisions about its own aggression, its own war”.
Russia has veto power on the council which it has recurrently used to block resolutions and negotiations on the global stage. This means that Russia cannot be expelled from the body, because it would simply veto any vote or recommendation by the Security Council to do so.
“If there is no alternative … then the next option would be dissolve yourself altogether,” Zelensky state.
“Ladies and gentlemen, are you ready to close the UN? … If your answer is no, then you need to act immediately,” he stated. The Ukrainian president, addressing remotely from Kyiv, gave a chilling account of the atrocities he said were carried out by Russian troops against civilians in Bucha.
Bucha had been occupied by Russian troops, but after they pulled out recently, Ukrainian authorities and independent international journalists found bodies of people in civilian clothing, some with their hands tied behind their backs.
