Starmer: 'Putin treating own people as meat to fling in the grinder'

Keir Starmer has told Russia he does not know how it can show its face at the United Nations after invading Ukraine and treating its own citizens as "bits of meat to fling into the grinder".

- Rowena Mason

Addressing the UN security council, of which Russia is one of five permanent members, Starmer delivered a direct message to Moscow that it should not be present at the meeting.

He accused Russia of violating the UN charter because its invasion of Ukraine was illegal, threatened global security and had caused "colossal human suffering".

"We must ensure accountability for those violating the UN charter and this council must recommit to the values that it sets out," he said.

"This should go without saying. Yet, the greatest violation of the charter in a generation has been committed by one of this council's permanent members." He drew attention to the 35,000 civilians who have been killed or injured, the six million forced to flee and almost 20,000 Ukrainian children kidnapped by Russia.