Russia’s war in Ukraine ‘aggravating geopolitical tensions,’ UN chief Antonio Guterres says

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council on Wednesday that Russia’s war in Ukraine “is aggravating geopolitical tensions and divisions, threatening regional stability, increasing the nuclear threat, and creating deep fissures in our increasingly multipolar world.”

Guterres was first to address the Security Council meeting on Ukraine taking place during the annual gathering of world leaders at the UN General Assembly.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attended in person for the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Before the meeting started, Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia argued against Zelenskyy addressing the council, which is chaired by Albania for September, before the 15 members.

“I want to assure our Russian colleagues and everyone here that this is not a special operation by the Albanian presidency,” Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama told Nebenzia. “There is a solution for this. If you agree, you stop the war and President Zelenskyy will not take the floor.”

The Security Council has met dozens of times on Ukraine over the past 19 months but is unable to take any action as Russia is a veto power.