Borrell at UN Security Council: in the face of aggression, no one can be neutral

Addressing the UN Security Council on 16 June, EU High Representative Josep Borrell urged all UN members “to help end the war, to restore Ukraine’s sovereignty and to ensure that the global fallout is contained, especially the growing food crisis”.

“The war takes place in Europe but this is not a European war. This is an attack on the foundations of the UN and this Security Council, by a permanent member of the Council,” said Borrell, adding that in the face of aggression, no one can be neutral: “Being neutral in this case means being on the side of the aggressor. No one can live safely in a world where the illegal use of force is normalised or tolerated.”

Borrell also shared data from the World Food Programme, which estimates that the number of food insecure people has doubled from 135 million before the pandemic to 276 million at the start of 2022. “Because of the war, the WFP now estimates this number to grow to 323 million,” said Borrell.

The EU High Representative also reminded that Russia is blocking at least 20 million tons of Ukrainian grain that cannot reach global markets. “That is the equivalent of 300 massive ships that should be docking at ports all over the world. Instead, Russia is bombing Ukraine’s ports, infrastructure and farmland,” said Borrell. “Just after President Putin spoke with the Chair of the African Union, Russian forces bombed Ukraine’s second largest grain silo in Mykolaiv. These actions speak for themselves.”

He added that the easiest way to resume grain deliveries is “for Russia to stop its aggression, withdraw its troops from all of Ukraine and to, finally, work with the UN and others to re-open the Black Sea.”

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