UNITED NATIONS — French President Emanuel Macron admonished countries Tuesday not to stay neutral about condemning Russia's war in Ukraine as he declared that Moscow's invasion amounts to a new form of imperialism.
The war in Ukraine — and its effects on food prices, fuel costs, Ukrainian nuclear power plants, and the larger context of tensions between Russia and the West — is looming over the annual gathering of presidents, prime ministers, monarchs and other dignitaries. Neither Russia nor Ukraine has yet had its turn to speak during the nearly weeklong series of speeches.
Macron made the war the centerpiece of his speech, arguing that the conflict threatens to usher in a world where “the security and sovereignty of everyone no longer depends on a balance of strength, on the strength of alliances, but rather that of armed groups and militias.”
“Who here can defend the idea that the invasion of Ukraine justifies no sanction?” he asked. “Who of you here can consider that the day when something similar with a more powerful neighbor happens to you, there'll be silence from the region, from the world?”
Speaking before him were leaders from Africa who said they do not want their continent to be “ the breeding ground of a new Cold War ” as nations pressure countries around the world take sides in the conflict.
So far Africa has stayed somewhat neutral on Ukraine. The Soviet Union backed many African…
