Speaking at the United Nations Security Council, James Cleverly said Vladimir Putin plans to rig the results of the vote to become part of Russia. He said: “We have information that means we know Russia is going to hold fake referendums on sovereign Ukrainian territory with no legal basis under threat of violence after mass displacement of people in areas that voted overwhelmingly for Ukrainian independence. “We know what Vladimir Putin is doing. He plans to fabricate the outcome of these referendums, he plans to use it to annex sovereign Ukrainian territory, and he plans to use it as a pretext to escalate his aggression. “We call on all countries to reject this travesty and refuse to recognize any result.” Russian Foreign Minister Leaves UN Summit After Speech – Ukraine Late The Security Council meeting in New York came a day after the conflict in Ukraine threatened to escalate into a nuclear crisis, as Putin warned that his country would use “all the means at our disposal” to protect itself. The meeting also heard from International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Karim Khan, who told the council that there are “reasonable grounds” to believe that crimes within the court’s jurisdiction have been committed in Ukraine. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player 2:39 Retired Air Vice Admiral Sean Bell explains what Putin said about Russia’s weapons in his speech The Hague-based court handles war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and crimes of aggression. Mr Smart said the “catastrophic consequences” of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine were becoming clearer every day. Addressing his counterparts at a special meeting at the level of foreign ministers, he said: “We are seeing mounting evidence of Russian atrocities against civilians, including indiscriminate bombing and targeted attacks on more than 200 medical facilities and 40 educational institutions and horrific acts of sexual violence.” He said that in areas of Ukraine under Russian control, civilians are subject to torture, arbitrary detention and forced deportation to Russia. The foreign minister spoke immediately after Sergei Lavrov, but the Russian foreign minister left the room immediately after his turn. Russia outnumbers the Security Council, but any meaningful action on Ukraine by the 15-member body has been blocked because it is a veto-wielding permanent member. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken told the meeting earlier that “one man chose this war, one man can end it.” Image: Ukraine conflict has dominated the UN General Assembly Image: There have been protests in Moscow after Putin issued a mobilization order as he tries to gain ground. Photo: Reuters The conflict in Ukraine has dominated talks at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where world leaders and senior diplomats have descended from around the world. On Tuesday, separatist leaders in four Russian-held regions of Ukraine announced plans to begin voting to become an integral part of Russia. Read more: What will holding referendums mean for parts of Russian-occupied Ukraine? Briton freed in Russia-Ukraine prisoner swap and photo with family Mr Putin gave a rare address to the nation the next day, where he said he was not bluffing and would use “all the means at our disposal” if Russian soil was threatened. The Russian leader also ordered a “partial mobilization” of military reserves – sparking mass protests on the streets of Moscow that led to more than 1,300 arrests. In her first speech on the world stage as prime minister, Liz Truss said Putin was desperately trying to justify a “disastrous” failure in Ukraine and accused him of “rattling”.
