Volodymyr Zelensky confronted Russia directly in the UN Security Council.
United Nations, United States:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confronted Russia directly at the UN Security Council on Wednesday, labeling the Kremlin’s invasion of his country as “criminal” and calling for Moscow to be stripped of its UN veto.
Volodymyr Zelensky, dressed in his trademark military gear, sat in the same room as a Russian official for the first time since the February 2022 invasion, who responded by scrolling through his smartphone with conspicuous disinterest.
“Most of the world recognizes the truth about this war,” Zelensky said. “It is a criminal and unprovoked aggression by Russia against our nation, aimed at seizing the territory and resources of Ukraine.”
President Zelenskiy called on the United Nations to strip Russia of its Security Council veto, describing this as a crucial reform that would simultaneously promote greater representation at the UN for developing countries – where support for Ukraine has been lukewarm.
“The veto in the hands of the aggressor has brought the UN to an impasse,” Volodymyr Zelensky said.
“It is impossible to stop the war because all attempts are rejected by the aggressor or by those who approve of the aggressor,” he said.
President Zelensky reiterated the Ukrainian position that the veto belonged to the former Soviet Union – one of the victors of World War II, after which the United Nations was founded – and not to President Vladimir Putin’s Russia.
“Unfortunately, this seat on the Security Council, which Russia illegally occupied after the collapse of the Soviet Union through behind-the-scenes manipulations, has been taken by liars whose job is to condone aggression and genocide,” Zelensky said.
Russia scoffs
Removing the Russian veto would be extremely difficult.
There is precedent, however: In 1971, the UN General Assembly stripped Taiwan of the veto power it held as a representative of China, transferring it instead to the mainland’s communist government.
Tensions erupted even before Volodymyr Zelensky spoke, with the Russian side questioning the decision of current Security Council President Albania, represented by Prime Minister Edi Rama, to let the Ukrainian go first.
Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia, who repeatedly asked to speak, told Rama that the appearance of Zelensky, a former comedian, risked “undermining the authority of the Security Council” and creating “a one-man stand-up show.” would be made of.
Edi Rama reacted calmly but with growing annoyance, telling the Russian envoy: “There is a solution here: stop the war and President Zelensky will not speak.”
Secretary General Antonio Guterres spoke before President Zelensky and also strongly criticized Russia.
“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in clear violation of the United Nations Charter and international law, exacerbates geopolitical tensions and divisions, threatens regional stability, increases the nuclear threat and creates deep rifts in our increasingly multipolar world,” said Antonio Guterres.
Albania allowed a list of 63 speakers for the session. Other attendees included Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Sergei Lavrov, himself a former UN ambassador known for his sharp comments, arrived in New York late on Tuesday, with official Russian media saying he had flown a circuitous route to avoid European airspace.
Vladimir Putin, who rarely travels to the United Nations, did not come this year. He has skipped other high-profile diplomatic meetings as Western countries try to isolate him and as he faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court.
Courting world opinion
In his speech to the General Assembly on Tuesday, Zelensky said that Russia’s deportations of Ukrainian children – which prompted the arrest warrant against Putin – constituted “genocide”.
President Zelensky supported Ukraine because it was in the world’s interest and said Russia was “weaponizing” both food and energy, including by halting a U.N.-backed scheme that allowed Ukraine to move grain safely through the Black Sea .
“For the first time in modern history we have the opportunity to end aggression on the terms of the nation that was attacked,” Volodymyr Zelensky said in a speech that was received with applause led by Western countries, but many empty seats elsewhere.
Some developing countries have criticized the attention paid to Ukraine, which has received some $43 billion in military aid from the United States alone.
“It is a serious indictment on this international community that we can spend so much on war, but we cannot support the action that must be taken to meet the most basic needs of billions of people,” South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Tuesday .
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
