World must “put out a fire in the center of Europe, which is about to flare up” - Kuleba at UNGA.

Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, has called on the international community to use all means available “to put out a fire in the center of Europe, which is about to flare up.”

That’s according to a statement Kuleba delivered at the UN General Assembly debate on the situation in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine on Wednesday, February 23, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

“We urge member states to use all available means to protect Ukraine and deter Russia. (…) We expect the international community to do its best to put out the fire in the center of Europe, which is about to flare up,” the foreign minister said.

Read also: Kuleba calls for more sanctions against Russia to stop Putin

The Russian security crisis must end with Russia returning to the path of diplomacy, Kuleba stressed.

According to the head of Ukrainian diplomacy, if Russia does not get a severe, swift and decisive response now, this will mean a total bankruptcy of the international security system and international institutions which are tasked with maintaining the global security order.

“This is a grim scenario which will throw us back to the darkest times of the 20th century,” said Kuleba.

“Russia will not stop at Ukraine. If a permanent member of the UN Security Council succeeds in breaking literally all rules, other actors will be inspired by him and follow his pattern. What he tries to do now is to prove that the United Nations are weak, indecisive and unable to defend their core principles,” the foreign minister emphasized.

Ukraine needs international help “right now to stop Russia from proceeding with aggressive plans,” said the minister.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, on February 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized the illegal entities in the temporarily occupied areas of Donetsk and Luhansk region. The agreements concluded between these quasi-republics and Russia provide for Moscow’s military assistance. Thus, Russia has openly acknowledged its military presence in certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

Read also: EU adopts sanctions in response to Russian recognition of self-proclaimed statelets

The U.S. Department of Treasury on February 22 imposed sanctions on Russian individuals and legal entities in line with President Joe Biden’s decree on responding to Russian aggression against Ukraine. The new package of sanctions covers Russia’s sovereign debt, 44 financial institutions, five vessels, and several representatives of the Kremlin elite and their relatives.

Canada introduced sanctions on Tuesday, banning its citizens from running transactions with the illegal entities in Donbas. Russian MPs who voted for the recognition of the sham statelets were also targeted by personal sanctions.

The government of Japan has declared sanctions against Russia for its aggressive moves in Ukraine. The restrictions provide for the ban on the issue of Russian bonds in Japan and an asset freeze on a number of Russian individuals.

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