'Act immediately or dissolve yourself altogether': Volodymyr Zelenskiy challenges UN over Ukraine war

Zelenskiy called on the 15-member council to expel Russia "so it cannot block decisions about its own aggression, its own war."

Russia, as one of the five permanent members of the Security Council, has a veto, which it has repeatedly wielded to block resolutions and negotiations on the global stage.

"If there is no alternative and no option, then the next option would be to dissolve yourself all together," Zelenskiy said.

He further said, "Ladies and gentlemen, are you ready to close the UN? And the time of international law is gone? If your answer is no, then you need to act immediately."

"They were killed in their apartments, houses, blowing up grenades, civilians were crushed by tanks while sitting in their cars in the middle of the road, just for their pleasure. They cut off limbs... slashed their throats," he said.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday said the war in Ukraine was "one of the greatest challenges ever" to the "international order and the global peace architecture" founded on the UN charter.

The war has led to 'senseless' loss of life, massive devastation in urban centres and destruction of civilian infrastructure, The Guardian reported Guterres as saying, while addressing the UN Security Council in New York.

Guterres said he was "equally shocked by the personal testimony of rapes and sexual violence" emerging from the conflict.

About the disturbing images from Bucha, northwest of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, Guterres said, "I will never forget the horrifying images of civilians killed in Bucha."
 

[With UNI inputs]