Russia’s foreign minister refused to listen to anyone else speak at a UN Security Council meeting about the atrocities committed in Ukraine. Sergei Lavrov tried to blame Ukraine for the Kremlin invasion, saying “radical forces” and “neo-Nazis” had been in power since 2014 “as a result of an armed coup with the direct support of Western countries”. Speaking at a special meeting of the Security Council at the level of foreign ministers, he also accused Kyiv of threatening his country’s security and “brazenly trampling” on the rights of Russians. This, he claimed, “simply confirms that the decision to conduct the special military operation was inevitable.” Seven months after the start of the brutal battle, he claimed the West wanted “to prolong the battle as long as possible, despite the casualties, in order to wear down and weaken Russia”. Depriving the other 14 members of the opportunity to speak to him, he arrived late and left immediately after his own speech. Speaking after his departure, the British foreign secretary said: “He left the room, I’m not surprised. I don’t think Mr Lavrov wants to hear the collective condemnation of this council.’ Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba later remarked that “the number of lies coming from Russian diplomats is quite extraordinary.” He tried to blame Ukraine and the West for Russia’s war (Image: Reuters) He claimed the West wanted to “drag out the fighting as long as possible despite the casualties to wear down and weaken Russia” (Image: via Reuters ) Foreign Secretary James Cleverley said he was “not surprised” that Lavrov had left (Image: AP) “I noticed today that the Russian diplomats are leaving just as promptly as the Russian forces,” Mr Kuleba said. The gathering in New York was attended by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Lavrov, among others. It came after Vladimir Putin warned he was “not bluffing” about his willingness to use nuclear weapons against the West. More than 1,300 protesters were arrested in 38 regions across Russia last night after the Kremlin leader announced a partial military mobilization, with 300,000 reservists called up to fight. Moscow-controlled regions in eastern and southern Ukraine are also set to hold “mock referendums” to become parts of Russia. This afternoon, James Smart called on countries to reject the “travesty” of the referendums and warned Putin that he will use it to annex swathes of Ukrainian territory and further escalate his aggression. “Every day the devastating consequences of Russia’s invasion become clearer,” he said. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said he noticed “Russian diplomats leaving as promptly as Russian forces” (Image: Reuters) US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken puts his hand over his face (Image: Reuters) To view this video, please enable JavaScript and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
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“We see mounting evidence of Russian atrocities against civilians, including indiscriminate bombing and targeted attacks on more than 200 medical facilities and 40 educational institutions, and horrific acts of sexual violence.” Any meaningful action on Ukraine has been blocked because Russia is a veto-wielding permanent member of the Security Council. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken told the meeting earlier that “one man chose this war, one man can end it.” “If Russia stops fighting, the war ends, but if Ukraine stops fighting, Ukraine ends,” he said. Contact our news team by emailing us at [email protected] For more stories like this, check out our news page.
