Canada’s foreign minister says Russia’s invasion of Ukraine ‘meaningless’

Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Jolly addresses the general debate of the 77th session of the General Assembly.Photography: Manuel Elías/United Nations

“The whole world has heard the horrific stories of Ukrainians losing loved ones in Russia’s senseless war,” Jolly said. “This assembly has firmly expressed its unequivocal opinion – that Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is a violation of the UN Charter.”

She said Moscow’s continued forcible annexation of Ukrainian territory against its will “strikes at the heart of our commitment to building this organization from the dark tragedy of World War II”.

Jolly said the Kremlin “has redoubled its efforts” to “justify the unreasonable conduct” despite a unified Europe and most UN member states expressing opposition to the Russian attack. Putin is now trying to cement his “war of choice” with nuclear threats, she said.

The war sparked a global food crisis affecting many other countries, and Russia must now be held accountable, she said.

“Those who violate the rule of law must be punished by the law,” Jolly said.

Jolly said Canada has been focused on health care issues surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and other diseases that could evolve into the next disease.She added that the Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Over a billion efforts have been devoted to this.

On climate change, she said Canada was committed to slashing its carbon footprint by 2030 and becoming carbon neutral by 2050, while calling on the rest of the world to honor Canada’s commitments.