Canadian foreign affairs minister calls Russia's invasion of Ukraine 'senseless'

Sept. 26 (UPI) -- Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly called Russia's invasion of Ukraine "senseless" and a violation of the United Nations charter, while promising the country is ready to join other nations to tackle climate change and end the COVID-19 pandemic.

Joly made her comments during the final day of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Monday. She placed Canada firmly in the corner of the neighboring United States and others in condemning Russia for its attack on Ukraine.

"The world has heard terrible stories of Ukrainians losing loved ones through Russia's senseless war," Joly said. "This assembly has spoken clearly with conviction -- Russia's aggression against Ukraine violates the U.N. charter."

She said Moscow's continued effort to forcibly annex Ukrainian territory against its will "strikes at the heart of the commitment we all made in building this organization from the dark tragedies of the second World War."

Joly said despite a unified Europe and the majority of United Nations members voicing opposition to Russia's attack, the Kremlin "has doubled down" on an effort to "justify the unjustifiable." She said Putin is now trying to solidify his "war of choice" with nuclear threats.

She said the war has sparked a global food crisis that has affected many other nations and Russia must now be held accountable.

"Those who break the rule of law must be met with the force of the law," Joly said.

Joly said Canada has been concentrating on healthcare concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and other diseases that could turn into the next one. She added that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has committed more than a billion to that effort.

In regard to climate change, she said Canada is committed to slashing its carbon footprint significantly by 2030 and being carbon neutral by 2050 while calling on the rest of the world to meet Canada's commitment.