Russia used its veto right on Friday to stop a resolution in the UN Security Council that sought to condemn the referendums organized in four Ukrainian regions and their annexation by Moscow.
The Russian delegation was left alone in its opposition to the text, which received the support of ten of the fifteen countries in the Security Council, while four (China, India, Brazil and Gabon) abstained.
The vote took place just a few hours after the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, signed in the Kremlin the documents for the annexation of Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson, areas partially controlled by Russian forces and which account for 15% of the territory of Ukraine.
The resolution presented at the UN by the United States and Albania condemned the “illegal” referendums held in the four regions, asked the international community not to recognize any change in their status and demanded the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.
Russia stands alone
The US representative and her British counterpart, Barbara Woodward, highlighted Russia’s isolation, noting that no other country voted with her, and Thomas-Greenfield noted that even those who abstained expressed concern about what the Kremlin is doing in Ukraine.
China, which has tried to maintain a more or less equidistant position since the outbreak of the conflict, reiterated today that it believes that “sovereignty and territorial integrity” must be respected, but once again avoided openly criticizing Moscow and recalled that the “legitimate concerns of security of all parties” must be taken into account, in a reference to Russian denunciations of NATO expansion.
The Russian ambassador, Vasili Nebenzia
The Russian ambassador, Vasili Nebenzia, described the document voted today as a “hostile action by the West” and as a “provocation”.
“Do you seriously believe that Russia can consider and support this draft? And if they don’t believe it, then they are intentionally pushing us to use the veto (to say) that Russia is abusing this right,” Nebenzia insisted.
The Moscow representative defended the legality of the consultations held in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia, noting that those who voted showed overwhelming support for joining Russia.
The United Nations Security Council holds a meeting on the situation in Ukraine at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
Pipeline debate
At the request of Russia, the Security Council today also addressed the leaks detected in the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines, a session that led to a new episode of crossed accusations between the powers.
The Russian delegation, as Putin had already done today, suggested that Washington is the one behind this alleged sabotage, emphasizing that the United States and its gas companies are the main beneficiaries of the deactivation of these pipelines.
Meanwhile, the US delegation “categorically denied any involvement in this incident” and accused the Kremlin of spreading “conspiracy theories” and “massive disinformation” to try to cover up the crimes it is committing in Ukraine.