By Oyintari Ben
On Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron urged neutral nations to cease being complicit by remaining silent about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Macron accused Russia of practicing new imperialism based on the law of the jungle.
At the United Nations General Assembly, Macron spoke to international leaders and warned that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was dividing the world and ushering in a new “century of colonialism.”
In a 30-minute speech, Macron urged nations to stop hedging their bets, saying, “Those who keep silent now – despite themselves or covertly with certain complicity – are helping the cause of a new imperialism, a contemporary cynicism that is eroding the world order.
“I find it absurd when Russia claims to be open to new forms of collaboration and a non-hegemonic world order. What basis does this have? Invasion of your neighbour’s territory, disregard for disliked borderlines. What is this sequence? Who is hegemonic today? Russia, ” he said.
Macron rejected the claim that the rest of the world had suffered as a result of the West’s efforts to uphold antiquated principles in order to further its own interests.
He stated, “I appeal on all members of this body to assist us on the path to peace and act to force Russia give up the choice of war so that it realizes the burden on itself and us and ends its aggression.
“Respecting the UN charter is everyone’s obligation, not picking a side between the East and the West.”
The gathering this week in New York is being used by Western countries to persuade neutral nations to put additional pressure on Moscow. Macron emphasized Russia’s constraints as he concluded.
“During the pandemic, who was present? Who provides funding to aid in the transition away from fossil fuels? Not those who are approaching you today proposing a new global order. Not those who had no effective vaccine and made no effort to combat climate change, “he said.
