On Wednesday, both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke at the UN Security Council in New York. During the speeches of the two politicians, the Ukrainian and Russian UN ambassadors looked pointedly at their mobile phones.
As reported, Zelensky and Lavrov avoided each other. Before Zelensky’s speech, Russian UN diplomat Vasily Nebenzya tried in vain to prevent the Ukrainian president from speaking at the start of the meeting. There is no reason to let the Ukrainian president speak first and turn the meeting into a “one-man stand-up show,” the diplomat said, in an apparent reference to Zelenskyi’s profession as a comedian. However, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, who chaired the meeting, dismissed the diplomat.
Zelenskyj wants a seat on the Security Council for Germany
Zelenskyi then used his speech mainly to create sentiment for his country among countries in the Global South. There, Russia tries to portray its war as an act of rebellion against Western imperialism. The president called, among other things, for permanent seats on the Security Council for Germany, Africa and Latin America. “Germany has become one of the most important global guarantors of peace and security,” he said. It is also unfair when it comes to African, Latin American and Asian countries if billions of people are not represented there.
The Security Council currently comprises 15 of the 193 UN member states. Five nuclear powers are always present and have veto power over all decisions: the US, China, Russia, Great Britain and France. Zelensky was personally represented at the UN body for the first time since the start of the war 19 months ago. He immediately said that “real solutions” were needed instead of “rhetoric.” “Humanity no longer places its hope in the UN when it comes to defending the sovereign borders of nations.”
Lack of interest?
During his speech, Zelensky sat opposite the Russian ambassador. Meanwhile, he looked pointedly at his cell phone, left the meeting and was eventually represented by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Weshin, according to the New York Times. An example that the Ukrainian ambassador later followed during Lavrov’s speech. He also demonstratively devoted himself to his mobile phone or documents (the Iranian foreign minister was caught playing a football match on his mobile phone on Tuesday).
Here you can see a video of Lavrov’s arrival.
Lavrov again spoke about developments in Crimea (since 2014 with Russia, formerly Ukraine) and the subsequent negotiations with the West. The Ukrainian government is a “puppet of the US,” so they could also order Ukraine to negotiate with Russia. Lavrov repeated well-known positions and reminded the US of its own wars, such as in Iraq. The Western allies staged a ‘coup’ in Ukraine. The politician complained that the West did not want to say a word about the causes of the problems between Russia and Ukraine. Only norms and principles would be used.
While Ukrainian officials paid little attention to him, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken listened, according to the New York Times. Blinken noted that it is difficult to imagine that a permanent member of the UN Security Council would show more contempt for the United Nations and its rules than Russia. From a comfortable distance, no one in the room should lose sight of the horrors that Ukrainian families face every day.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
