Zelensky urges world powers to strip Russia of its veto power

UNITED NATIONS, Sept 21 (Agencies): Ukraine's president accused Russia of waging "a criminal and unprovoked aggression" that undermines all norms of war and the UN charter Wednesday at a meeting of the UN Security Council. Volodomyr Zelensky also urged world leaders to strip Russia of its veto power.
The Ukrainian leader told the council that his proposal to end the 19-month war starts with adherence to the charter that ensures the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all 193 UN member nations. He stressed that restoration of all Ukrainian territory is the key to peace.
Before the meeting started, there was intense speculation about whether Zelensky and Russia's top diplomat, Sergey Lavrov, would clash, speak or totally avoid each other. But no confrontation happened because Zelensky left the council soon after his address.
The meeting started with a clash over his speech. Before Lavrov arrived, Russian UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia protested the council president's decision to allow Zelensky to speak ahead of the 15 council members.
He said Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, this month's council president, was trying to turn the meeting into "a one-man stand-up show," adding that it would be "nothing more than a spectacle" - a dig at Zelensky's past as a comedian.
Rama cited the council rule allowing a nonmember to speak first. He added that "this is not a special operation by the Albanian presidency," eliciting laughter with a quip about Russia's insistence on referring to its offensive against Ukraine as a "special military operation."
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres then briefed the council, reiterating that Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 was "in clear violation of the United Nations charter and international law."
Meanwhile, Russia pounded energy facilities across Ukraine on Thursday in its biggest missile attack for weeks, firing what Ukrainian officials saw as the first salvo in a new air campaign against the national power grid.
Power cuts were reported in five Ukrainian regions in the west, centre and east, reviving memories of multiple air strikes on critical infrastructure last winter that caused sweeping outages for millions during the bitter cold.
Officials said at least 18 people were wounded in the air strikes, including a nine-year-old girl, and a regional governor said two people were killed in separate overnight Russian shelling.
"Winter is coming. Tonight (Russia) renews missile attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure," lawmaker Andrii Osadchuk wrote on platform X.
Grid operator Ukrenergo said it was the first Russian attack on power infrastructure in six months, and reported damage to facilities in western and central regions.