MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is supporting a resolution at the UN General Assembly for Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine as it voiced "explicit condemnation" of the invasion and called for the protection of civilians and of civilian infrastructure.
In a statement at the emergency special session of the UN General Assembly, the Philippines joined the chorus of nations calling for an end to hostilities and pointed out that "while an offense can be stopped at will the defense cannot rest until the offense stops."
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The Philippines also called for "massive assistance commensurate with the growing humanitarian crisis" and said that people caught in the conflict must have safe access to humanitarian assistance.
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In its statement, the Philippines also stressed that the UN charter recognizes the sovereignty and sovereign equality of states and that states must "refrain from the use of force against the political independence and territorial integrity of any state."
Russia has said that its military operations in the Ukraine are meant to protect the residents of breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine and that it sent troops to keep Ukraine from attacking its own people.
"We especially condemn the use of separatism and secession as a weapon of diplomacy for inviting and inflicting terrible cruelties and indiscriminate killings far in excess of that of any other kind of conflict," the Philippines said.
"We saw this in the Balkans and in Africa. We strongly urge resort to the 1982 Manila Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of International Disputes. It will at least halt the ongoing tragedy for a while," the Philippines also said, referring to a commitment to settle international disputes peacefully.
Under the declaration, states are expected to "seek in good faith and in a spirit of cooperation and early and equitable settlement of their international disputes" through negotiation, inquiriy, mediation, conciliation, arbitration and other peaceful means.
Disputes may also be brought before the UN and the Security Council.
States, meanwhile, are expected to "refrain from any action whatsoever which may aggravate the situation so as to endanger the maintenance of international peace and security" or prevent a peaceful settlement of the dispute.
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UN Secretary-General: The fighting must stop
Inside the General Assembly hall, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, pleaded: "The fighting in Ukraine must stop. Enough is enough."
Representatives of more than 100 countries are expected to speak over three days as the global body decides if it will support a resolution that demands Russia immediately withdraws its troops from Ukraine.
A vote is expected Wednesday, and it must reach a two-thirds threshold to pass. The resolution is non-binding but will serve as a marker of how isolated Russia is.
Its authors hope they may exceed 100 votes in favor — though countries including Syria, China, Cuba and India are expected to either support Russia or abstain.
"We do not feel isolated," Russia's UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told reporters.
He reiterated Moscow's stance, flatly rejected by Kyiv and its Western allies, that its military operation was launched to protect residents of breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine.
"The hostilities were unleashed by Ukraine against its own residents," he said during his address.
The vote is also being seen as a barometer of democracy in a world where autocratic sentiment has been on the rise, diplomats said, pointing to such regimes in Myanmar, Sudan, Mali, Burkina Faso, Venezuela, Nicaragua — and of course Russia.
"If Ukraine does not survive, the United Nations will not survive. Have no illusions," said Ukraine's ambassador to the UN, Sergiy Kyslytsya. — with a report by Agence France-Presse