On July 16, as the Russian Federation’s representatives prepared to open a United Nations Security Council meeting on “Multilateral Cooperation for a more just, democratic and sustainable world order,” over 50 UN member states, including the United states, and the European Union, issued a joint statement condemning Russia’s temerity in leading this event. “Against the background of its brutal war of aggression against Ukraine,” they said in the statement, “the topic of debate is another clear demonstration of Russia’s hypocrisy.”
In 1959, the Soviet Union presented to the United Nations a “bronze statue of a man, beating his sword into a plowshare, transforming a weapon of war, into a tool for the common good, prioritizing food security and agricultural prosperity over destruction,” said U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield. “And so, it is ironic that today, the very country that erected this statue, this statement of the UN’s ideals, is now actively engaged in a war of aggression against its neighbor.”
“A war that has weaponized food, worsening food insecurity not only for Ukrainians, but for tens of millions of hungry people around the world.
“A war that has severely damaged Ukraine’s power production, threatening to leave hundreds of thousands in the cold this winter.
“A war that has killed thousands of innocent people, including dozens just last week at a pediatric hospital in Kyiv.
“A war that has facilitated the unlawful transfers of thousands upon thousands of people from their homes, including children.
“And a war that has caused Moscow to result to nuclear brinksmanship and to violate international sanctions obligations.”
“The hypocrisy displayed on the UN’s North Lawn, by a nation that has chosen to beat plowshares into swords, is only matched by the hypocrisy it has displayed in this very Council today and every day,” said Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield.
“Today, we gather under the guise of embracing and improving multilateralism; of recommitting to international law. And yet, as we speak, Russia continues to erode confidence in our institutions, while willfully and flagrantly violating the core tenets of the United Nations Charter: territorial integrity. Respect for human rights. International cooperation.”
“The United States welcomes the opportunity to come together to discuss this serious matter of international peace and security and multilateral cooperation,” said Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield, “even if it was convened by a Council Member that has shown time and time again that it doesn’t take this matter seriously.”
