U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Russian President Vladimir Putin “doubled down the scale of his invasion of Ukraine instead of changing course and choosing not to end the war,” noting that “what Putin chose this week in conjunction with the General Assembly shows his disrespect to the Charter of the United Nations”.

Speaking from UN Headquarters in New York, he pointed out that “the international system that we are here to support is being torn apart before our very eyes. We cannot and will not allow Putin to evade responsibility,” explaining that “a number of countries that maintain relations with Moscow.

Blinken stressed: “If we fail to protect the principle of borders when it is violated by the Kremlin, we will send a signal to aggressors everywhere,” noting that “we expect Putin to view any attempt by Ukraine to regain its territory as an attack on Russia.” stressing that Russia’s absurd nuclear threats must be stopped immediately.”