On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked leaders of the Caribbean Community (CARICIOM) to back a motion at the United Nations next week that condemns Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the continuing war there.
“I’m glad you’re on the right side of the law. I appreciate your work to make your area and the world more stable. “But real stability is only possible if we all work together to protect the world from state thugs,” Zelenskyy said, adding, “so I urge you to keep working together.”
In a virtual address to the regional leaders who just finished their 44th summit here, the Ukrainian leader said, “Next week, we will present at the UN General Assembly a resolution on a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in Ukraine, which means the full force of the international rules-based order will be restored.”
“Your votes are important,” he said.
In February of last year, CARICOM released a statement that “strongly” condemned Russia’s military attacks and invasion of Ukraine. The statement also called for “the immediate and complete withdrawal of the military presence and the end of any further actions that could make the dangerous situation in that country even worse.”
“The Russian Federation’s recognition of Donetsk and Luhansk is a violation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty,” CARICOM said. “The hostilities against Ukraine go against the principles of respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, non-interference in the internal affairs of another sovereign state, the ban on the threat or use of force, and the peaceful resolution of disputes,” it added.
The 15-member group for regional integration called on all sides to “immediately start a more intense diplomatic dialogue to stop fighting and work toward a lasting peace.”
