Keir Starmer has told Russia he does not know how it can show its face at the United Nations after invading Ukraine and treating its own citizens as “bits of meat to fling into the grinder”.
Addressing the UN security council, of which Russia is one of five permanent members, Starmer delivered a direct message to Moscow that it should not be present at the meeting.
He accused Russia of violating the UN charter because its invasion of Ukraine was illegal, threatened global security and had caused “colossal human suffering”.
“We must ensure accountability for those violating the UN charter and this council must recommit to the values that it sets out,” he said. “This should go without saying. Yet, the greatest violation of the charter in a generation has been committed by one of this council’s permanent members.”
He drew attention to the 35,000 civilians who have been killed or injured, the 6 million forced to flee and almost 20,000 Ukrainian children kidnapped by Russia.
The British prime minister added: “I think of Yaroslav Bazylevych, whose wife and three daughters were killed earlier this month by a Russian strike on civilians in Lviv. And I wonder how Russia can show its face in this building.
“Six hundred thousand Russian soldiers have also been killed or wounded in this war. And for what? The UN charter, which they sit here to uphold, speaks of human dignity. Not treating your own citizens as bits of meat to fling into the grinder.”
As well as calling for accountability for Russia, Starmer also addressed the conflicts in the Middle East, saying the region was “on the brink”.
He called for diplomacy and an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, and an immediate, full and complete ceasefire in relation to Israel’s war in Gaza with the release of all the hostages.
“We need a political route to that agreement, which provides a bridge to a better future. A credible and irreversible path towards a viable Palestinian state,” he said. “Alongside a safe and secure state of Israel. This is the only way to provide security and justice for both Israelis and Palestinians.”
Starmer’s trip to the United Nations general assembly in New York is his third trip to the US in three months. The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is also attending to present his “victory plan” to Joe Biden and the US presidential candidates, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.
Zelenskyy has been seeking permission to use British-French made Storm Shadow missiles on Russian territory, with UK support, but negotiations with the US are still continuing as the weapons use some US technology.
Pressed on when a decision would be made about the use of UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles within Russia, Starmer said: “We will have discussions about a whole range of issues, and we will listen carefully to what President Zelenskyy’s got to say, and that’s what’s going to happen in the next few days.”
He added the discussions would not be about the “sole issue like long-range missiles” but a “strategic, overarching route for Ukraine to find a way through this and succeed against Russian aggression”.
Addressing the UN security council on Tuesday, Zelenskyy accused Moscow of committing “international crimes” by targeting Ukrainian civilians and energy infrastructure, and claimed he had proof that Putin was plotting to target three Ukrainian nuclear power plants to further degrade the country’s energy grid.
