European Union countries issued a statement criticizing Russia’s actions and Lavrov’s presence at the UNSC meeting. They believe Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in violation of the United Nations Charter and international law, is causing massive suffering and devastation to the country and its people.
On April 24, 2023, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attended United Nations Security Council meeting on “Effective multilateralism through the defense of the principles of the U.N Charter” at the U.N. headquarters in New York.
Lavrov was in charge of the meeting, titled “Maintenance of International Peace and Security,” because Russia currently holds the presidency of the Security Council. The last time Russia led the discussion was in February 2022, when it launched its invasion of Ukraine.
Regarding the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Lavrov termed it a special military operation in Ukraine. He also blamed Kyiv as the aggressor by referring to the Ukrainian government as the “Nazi Kyiv regime”.
Moreover, he accused the US of escalating geopolitical issues worldwide, such as the conflict between China and Taiwan. He also remained firm in his assertion that the Ukraine War serves American interests rather than its own and that it intends to “leverage the openly racist regime”, in Kyiv in the hope of weakening Russia and eliminating its competitors.
“It is clear to all, even though not everybody talks about this, it is not at all about Ukraine,” Lavrov said. “It is about how international relations will continue to be shaped through the establishment of a sound consensus on the basis of balance of interests or through the aggressive and volatile advancement of Washington’s hegemony.”
However, in response, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US ambassador to the UN, placed the blame squarely back on Russia during her opening remarks.
“Our hypocritical convener today, Russia, invaded its neighbor Ukraine and struck at the heart of the U.N. Charter,” Thomas-Greenfield said, referring to the U.N.’s founding document that vows to preserve sovereignty, peace, justice and the prevention of war.
“This illegal, unprovoked and unnecessary war runs directly counter to our most sacred principle: that a war of aggression and territorial conquest is never, ever acceptable,” she said. “Today it’s Ukraine, but tomorrow it could be another country, another small nation that is invaded by its larger neighbour,” she added.
Furthermore, UN Security-General Antonio Guterres also condemned Russia’s actions during his opening speech. “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in violation of the United Nations Charter and international law, is causing massive suffering and devastation to the country and its people and adding to the global economic dislocation triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said, sitting right next to Lavrov.
The Black Sea Initiative, which has been essential in opening a humanitarian doorway for agricultural products in Ukraine, was also urged to be extended by Guterres. This U.N.-backed agreement has allowed Ukraine to export more than 25 million tonnes of grain and other food products to neighboring countries.
While Britain’s UN Ambassador Barbara Woodward criticized Russia for bringing “unimaginable tragedy to that country, while trampling on the UN Charter.” A statement from the European Union’s member states also blasted Russia’s conduct and criticized Lavrov’s attendance at the summit. Although most Russian diplomats are not invited now to international conferences since the conflict, the Security Council meeting is an exemption because the Council has 15 members, of which China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States hold permanent seats.
“Russia is trying to portray itself as a defender of the UN charter and multilateralism. Nothing can be further from the truth. It’s cynical,” said Olaf Skoog, European Union representative to the UN. “We all know that while Russia is destroying, we are building. While they violate, we protect.”
