Russia is treating its own citizens as “bits of meat to fling into the grinder” in Ukraine, Sir Keir Starmer said as he urged Vladimir Putin to end the conflict.
The Prime Minister, speaking at the UN Security Council, said Russia was responsible for “colossal human suffering” as a result of the conflict.
He said Russia, like the UK one of the five permanent members of the Security Council, was behind the “greatest violation of the (UN) charter in a generation”.
“I wonder how Russia can show its face in this building,” he added.
The Prime Minister was accompanied at the table by Foreign Secretary David Lammy while his chief of staff Sue Gray was in the audience for his address.
Sir Keir said: “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is illegal. It threatens global security. And it has caused colossal human suffering.
“Over 35,000 civilians have been killed or injured, six million forced to flee and almost 20,000 Ukrainian children forcefully deported. Kidnapped, to put it bluntly.”
“The UN Charter – which they sit here to uphold – speaks of human dignity. Not treating your own citizens as bits of meat to fling into the grinder,” he added.
Sir Keir said “there must be accountability” to show that “aggression cannot pay”.
“Russia started this illegal war. It must end it – and get out of Ukraine,” he said.
Ahead of his Security Council speech, Sir Keir said Ukraine’s desire to use western missiles to strike targets in Russia will not be the “sole issue” in consideration of Volodymyr Zelensky’s “victory plan” for the war.
The US and UK have so far refused to give Kyiv permission to use the missiles they have supplied against targets in Russia, despite repeated pleas from Mr Zelensky.
The Ukrainian president has said that he is having to fight with his hands tied because he is unable to use the weapons to strike Russian airfields and military facilities which Mr Putin is using to launch deadly air raids, missiles and drones.
The Prime Minister said: “I do think it’s going to take quite a bit of time at the UN General Assembly. And I think that’s really important, because it’s at a critical stage.
“Obviously, President Zelensky has a plan that he wants to walk through with all of us – we knew that was going to happen.
“The support for Ukraine is resolute. We supply quite a lot of capability already under the last government; we’ve increased that under this government – that’s not a criticism of the last government – and we will always listen very carefully to what Ukraine says it needs by way of capability.
Pressed on when a decision will be made about the use of UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles within Russia, Sir Keir said: “We will have discussions about a whole range of issues, and we will listen carefully to what President Zelensky’s got to say, and that’s what’s going to happen in the next few days.”
Elsewhere, during his remarks to the UN Security Council, Sir Keir also addressed the situation in Sudan as “the worst humanitarian crisis in the world today”.
“The UK has doubled its aid for the victims of this war to almost £100 million. But much more help is needed. The world must step up,” he said.
