'Extinguishing Ukraine's right to exist as State...': US President Biden slams Russia for 'shamelessly violating' UN Charter

New York: US President Joe Biden on Wednesday lashed out at Russia for making 'irresponsible nuclear threats' amid the war with Ukraine. He also accused Moscow of 'shamelessly violating' the core tenets of the UN and criticised the other country for scheduling a 'sham referenda' in territory it has forcibly seized from Ukraine. The remarks came mere hours after President Vladimir Putin announced a partial mobilisation to call up 300,000 reservists and accused the West of engaging in 'nuclear blackmail'.

"A nuclear war cannot be won, and must never be fought...The United States is ready to pursue critical armed control measures," Biden told the UN General Assembly today.

Biden accused the 'prominent member of the UN Security Council' of invading its neighbour and attempting to 'erase a sovereign state' from the world map.

"This war is about extinguishing Ukraine's right to exist as a State...the United States wants this war to end on just terms - on terms we all signed up for, that you cannot seize a nation's territory by force. The only country standing in the way of that is Russia," he said.

The POTUS called on all nations - whether democracies or autocracies - to speak out against the Russian invasion and to bolster's Ukraine effort to defend itself. He also highlighted consequences of the invasion for the world's food supply, pledging $2.9 billion in global food security aid to address shortages caused by the war and the effects of climate change.

As the war nears the seven-month mark, Russian-controlled regions of eastern and southern Ukraine have announced plans to hold Kremllin-backed referendums to become part of Russia in the coming days. Russian President Putin on Wednesday announced a partial mobilisation to call up 300,000 reservists as Ukrainian forces retake control of large swathes of territory near Kharkiv.