Askold Lozynskyj
Clearly Russian aggression in Ukraine, beginning with the invasion in February 2014, contravenes the basic principles of the United Nations Charter. Add to that the brutality and war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, Russia has been an egregious transgressor of international law and the UN Charter, and its covenants and conventions. On more than one occasion Russia has replied that it does not care, it will do what it wants.
The UN has, unfortunately, been largely ineffective, despite several General Assembly resolutions condemning Russia and an arrest warrant issued against Russia’s leader by the UN International Criminal Court. The lack of efficacy by the UN in stopping conflicts has been explored widely. Frankly, there is no easy solution.
Antonio Guterres, the ninth Secretary-General of the United Nations, took office on 1 January 2017. He has been praised for his activity and criticized for his lack of efficacy, as most leaders. In view of the fact that the main purpose of the UN is to stop global conflict and the largest conflict since World War 2 is before our eyes every day, I feel that a critical assessment of Secretary Guterres is warranted.
In October 2024, Secretary General Guterres attended and spoke at the BRICS conference in Kazan, Russia. Regarding the war in Ukraine and Russian aggression he said only the following: “We need peace in Ukraine. A just peace in line with the UN Charter, international law and General Assembly resolutions. “
In August 2025 in Shanghai at the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) he said even less: “In Ukraine, it is past time for a ceasefire leading to a just, comprehensive and sustainable peace, in line with the UN Charter, international law and UN resolutions.”
That was all. By any measure the UN Secretary General said very little. The leader of the main international structure meant to ensure peace and security attended two conferences organized or attended by the main aggressor with comparable thugs in attendance and said less than 50 words about the aggression itself. Is it not surprising that international law does not work and remains a conundrum.
There had been numerous conventions, covenants and treaties well before the formation of the United Nations in 1945. Just prior to that, there was an attempt to form the UN’s predecessor, the League of Nations. Although the idea came from President Woodrow Wilson, it was killed by the United States. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt sold his soul to the devil and Eastern Europe to Josef Stalin to make the UN a reality. It was essential because in international law there were no institutions. The formation of the Security Council with veto power allotted to the greatest danger, the Soviet Union, was a major mistake. But this was done so that the main institution could be formed.
In retrospect the reason why international law is a fiction even today is because the UN is ineffective and not only because of its structure. People like Antonio Guterres have added much to the inefficacy.
There is no logical reason why Secretary General Antonio Guterres traveled at least ten thousand miles to Kazan and Shanghai to disgrace himself and the institution he represents. The UN Charter offers much clarification even if the Security Council with its composition undermines the very Charter. The Preamble reads:
“WE THE PEOPLES OF THE UNITED NATIONS DETERMINED to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, and to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small, and to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained, and to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom.”
The question then is: how did Secretary General Guterres while attending the conferences in Kazan and Shanghai promote these principles. The answer is obvious. He did not. Efficacy of international law without appropriate institutions and additional methods of implementation are very major problems The UN is deeply flawed organizationally and structurally. Yet it is the only such structure with a purpose of securing global peace and, more importantly, the only one existing. Amending the organizational documents would be too much since at least two permanent members of the UN Security Council are essentially outliers of a peaceful world, authoritarian and predisposed to the most heinous acts such as genocide. Russia has acknowledged on numerous occasions that its purpose is to wipe Ukrainians off the face of the earth. China without declaration is working towards that end with Islamic constituents, Tibetans, etc.
UN personnel, however, have to be held accountable except that no one is. Guterres is merely one example. He is serving his second term. I recall at least one Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations assuring me that Guterres is a good man. He may be, but he is certainly not suited to be effective when the world consists of such thugs as Putin, Xi, Kim, Erdogan, Modi and others. All of them are killers. Guterres is merely a lamb. He does not stand a chance among wolves.
September 7, 2025