Putin's "Illegal War", says Biden...
Nations: Amid the ongoing Ukrainian-Russia war, Ukraine accused Russia of a "Terrorist State" at an urgent United Nations General Assembly meeting Monday following its Neighbor’s latest attacks, as Western powers sought to underscore Moscow's isolation.
The UN called the debate to discuss Russia's declared annexation of four partly occupied Ukrainian regions, but the debate was overshadowed by strikes in Kyiv and other cities in one of the most punishing assaults on Ukraine in months.
"Russia has proven once again that this is a terrorist state that must be deterred in the strongest possible ways," said Sergiy Kyslytsya, Ukraine's ambassador to the UN in his opening remarks, adding his own immediate family had come under attack.
Moreover, he added, telling member states at least 14 people were killed and 97 wounded in the attacks, "Unfortunately, you can hardly call for a stable and sane peace as long as an unstable and insane dictatorship exists in your vicinity."
Responding, Vasily Nebenzya of Russia did not directly address the missile strikes but defended his country's annexation of Ukrainian regions.
"We are being accused when we are trying to protect our brothers and sisters in eastern Ukraine, their right to life first and foremost, the right to speak the language, to teach their children their language, to honor the heroes who liberated their lands from fascism."
Ahead of the General Assembly session, and with tensions at a boiling point, UN chief Antonio Guterres described Russia's attacks as an "unacceptable escalation of the war," his spokesman said.
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden condemned the strikes in stark terms, saying they "demonstrate the utter brutality" of Putin's "illegal war."
Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed even more "severe" retaliation after the recent explosion that damaged a key bridge in Moscow-annexed Crimea.
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