THE entire world is watching in disbelief if not outrage at what is happening in Ukraine, especially in this supposedly modern and civilised age. Images of the indiscriminate killings of men, women and children are beamed in the homes of millions if not billions of people around the globe on a daily basis. This is indeed depressing and calls into serious question the role of the United Nations, and the Security Council in particular, to meaningfully engage in dispute resolution.

Unlike the First and Second World Wars when millions of people died, images of death and destruction were confined more to the battlefields. Not so today. The rise of social media and information and communication technologies has now brought images of war and conflicts literally into our sitting rooms.

The war in Ukraine is now in its fourth week and there is no sign of any easing up, despite several rounds of discussions by the warring sides to find a solution. Meanwhile, entire cities have been destroyed, thousands of lives lost and a humanitarian crisis which the world has never experienced in modern history, has been created.

According to the United Nations, the fighting has displaced 6.5 million people inside Ukraine on top of the 3.2 million refugees scattered in several parts of Eastern Europe — Poland in particular.

In all of this, the international community appeared unable to bring about an end to the crisis. U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President XI Jingping, spoke on Friday for nearly two hours via video as the U.S. seeks to deter China from providing military or economic aid to Russia in the face of severe economic sanctions by western nations against Russia. It remains to be seen what effect, if any, these talks will have on the current situation.

Meanwhile, the United Nations human rights body said that it had recorded a total of 816 civilian deaths and 1,333 injuries since the war began on February 24. These are unconfirmed numbers which did not include soldiers killed on both sides on the battlefield which, according to conservative estimates, could run into the thousands.

The international community has come out in open condemnation of the war, with Pope Francis describing it as the ‘perverse’ abuse of power and called for aid for Ukrainians whose identity, history and tradition are under attack.

The security interests of all nations, including that of the Russian Federation, cannot be ignored or swept under the carpet. Such concerns however cannot be resolved through resort to the use of military force as is the case in the current invasion of Ukraine by Russia. A more enlightened approach to dispute resolution has to be found, based on the principles of respect for territorial integrity and the principles of non-interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states.

In this regard, the position taken by the Government of Guyana on the matter is not only correct, but is fully consistent with the norms of international law and with the principles of non-interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states and more importantly their sovereign right to exist.

The position of Guyana is fully aligned with that of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) which strongly condemned ‘the military attacks and invasion by the Russian Federation and called for the immediate and complete withdrawal of the military presence and cessation of any further action that may intensify the perilous situation in that country.’

The harsh reality is that the impact of the war is already biting hard. Already the cost of fuel has spiraled, pushing up the cost of living. Russia and Ukraine are among the largest producers of grains and the war has already impacted in a big way on the price of flour on the local market.

The hope is that this war will come to a speedy end. It is not too late for the parties to reach an agreement that will accommodate the security interests of both the Ukraine and the Russian Federation.  War is certainly not the answer. If allowed to continue, the consequences could be dire, not only for the Ukrainian people, but for humanity as a whole.