The head of the United Nations implored Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday night not to attack Ukraine and to “give peace a chance,” a plea made just minutes before Putin announced a military operation in Ukraine.
The televised announcement came as U.N. Security Council members were pressing Russia to reverse course. The council had hastily gathered for an emergency meeting hours after Russia said rebels in eastern Ukraine had asked Moscow for military assistance, an announcement that immediately fueled fears that Moscow was laying the groundwork for war.
“If indeed an operation is being prepared, I have only one thing to say from the bottom of my heart: President Putin, stop your troops from attacking Ukraine. Give peace a chance. Too many people have already died,” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the council.
Less than a half-hour later, while members called on Russia to halt its confrontational moves, Putin announced a military operation that he said was meant to protect civilians. He warned other countries that any effort to interfere with the Russian operation would lead to “consequences they have never seen.”
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