Prime Minister António Costa today criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “irresponsible threats to use nuclear weapons” and called on Russia to stop hostilities rather than escalate the conflict in Ukraine.

António Costa left these messages at the start of his speech at the general debate of the 77th session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, a meeting marked by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its global consequences.

“Russia must stop hostilities and allow for a serious and sustainable dialogue focused on a ceasefire and peace. Now is not the time for Russia to escalate the conflict or irresponsibly threaten to use nuclear weapons,” he said.

The Prime Minister began his speech in Portuguese, noting that the UN was created to maintain world peace and security and “save future generations from the scourge of war,” in 1945, adding: “So, 77 years, we still have have not been able to achieve these goals. All over the world, many children and even adults have never known peace.”

He then spoke of “an unjustified and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, a flagrant violation of international law, in violation of the Charter of the United Nations”, with “devastating consequences for the Ukrainian people, brutally affecting the civilian population.”

António Costa stated that “the seriousness of the actions committed make it necessary for an independent, impartial and transparent investigation to ensure that the crimes committed do not go unpunished”, and stressed the need to “once again condemn the Russian aggression” and reiterate Portugal’s “support for sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity Ukraine”.

The Prime Minister also expressed Portugal’s solidarity with “all those around the world and in particular on the African continent, suffering from the consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine”, stressing that “those who felt the most impact were the most vulnerable.” energy and food crisis – after almost three years of pandemic crisis”.

Therefore, he wanted to “clearly and unequivocally make it clear that the necessary sanctions applied to Russia cannot directly or indirectly affect the production, transportation and payment of grains or fertilizers.”

“We applaud the efforts of the entire United Nations system, in particular its Secretary-General António Guterres, to resolve this conflict and mitigate its harmful effects, such as the food crisis,” he said.

The Prime Minister also referred to African countries, saying that “we must support the efforts of African countries by offering African solutions to African problems.”

Speaking about Portugal’s contribution to peacekeeping missions, Costa said he was “greatly proud of the contribution of the armed forces of the entire continent to the UN, NATO or the EU.”

With regard to measures to combat climate change, the Prime Minister of Portugal emphasized the importance of respecting previous agreements, since “countries like Portugal, which suffer from the scourge of forest fires, are well aware of the problems of climate change.”

He then expressed his hope that the United Nations Climate Change Conference to be held this November in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, will lead to “an inclusive transition that ensures a more balanced distribution of climate finance between mitigation and adaptation.”

“The transition to a prosperous, green and digital future cannot leave anyone behind. Social policy must be at the center of our actions, the development of our economies, the fight against climate change,” he defended.

Prime Minister António Costa also said that with his candidacy for the post of non-permanent member of the Security Council in 2027-2028, Portugal wants to contribute to making the UN more fair, efficient and representative.

Costa reaffirmed Portugal’s position in favor of reforming the Security Council so that “the African continent is present” in this body and “at least Brazil and India have a permanent seat”.

According to the prime minister, it is also necessary that “small states be more fairly represented” in the UN Security Council, which should reflect the changes that have taken place in the world since 1945.

“Since then, the world has changed radically,” he stressed.

“The challenges we face today make it inevitable that our home will continue to adapt, making it more efficient, fairer and more representative. Portugal is also ready to contribute. And that is why we are candidates for membership of the Security Council in the biennium. 2027-2028 and we hope to once again earn your trust,” he added, linking this candidacy to UN reform.

António Costa argued that “strengthening multilateralism is not an option” but “an absolute must to address global challenges” and build a “more peaceful, more sustainable, more inclusive and more prosperous future”.

“Today is the time to move from words to deeds: with more cooperation, more solidarity and more multilateralism. Portugal, as always, will not miss this call,” he promised at the end of his speech, delivered in Portuguese.

Currently, the UN Security Council includes the United States of America, Russia, France, the United Kingdom and China as permanent members with veto power.

The Prime Minister defended a Security Council “representative, flexible and functional, capable of responding to the challenges of the 21st century without being paralyzed, and whose actions are closely monitored by other members of the United Nations.”

On the other hand, in his opinion, it should be a body “that brings together a comprehensive vision of security, recognizing, in particular, the role of climate change as an accelerator of conflicts.”

“The transformative potential of the United Nations is enormous, but to do so, it must be given the necessary tools to meet the high expectations that the people of the world place on it,” he said.

(News updated at 23:10)