Statement by Permanent Representative Vassily Nebenzia raising a point of order during UNSC briefing on the situation in Ukraine
Mr.President,
Again, we would like to put on record our position regarding another attempt of our Western colleagues to “push through” the online participation of president Zelensky of Ukraine in this meeting.
We repeatedly stressed that we are not opposed to the participation of President Zelensky or his representative per se. But they must be physically present in this room. Apart from the fact that this is prescribed by the rules of procedure which have regulated the work of this body for more than 75 years, it is also an issue of respect to the Council. Security Council must not turn into a platform for political shows or a movie theatre. With such issues, any forbearance seriously damages the authority of the Council.
Speaking about shows, this is what the Ukrainian delegation organized in the General Assembly during the High Level Week. I mean the fact that people were taken to the GA Hall purposefully – in order to applaud upon hearing the pre-recorded address by the Ukrainian president. This reaction was filmed on mobile devices and then disseminated via social media as a proof of alleged support of GA members. Colleagues, please do not think no one noticed that. Many delegations expressed their perplexity when they saw those alleged supporters enter and then exit the GA Hall in groups upon completing their mission while accompanied by Western delegates.
It is deplorable that such clumsy and primitive PR tricks depreciate the role of the Security Council and the United Nations at large, which were designed to serve as respectful platforms for dialogue rather than political shows. Again, this illustrates the real attitude of Western delegations to the United Nations. You do not care for safeguarding its fundamental concepts, its authority, and the way it is perceived by the international community. In your Russophobic hysteria, you are ready to forsake it all.
Let me underscore again that we stand for sovereign equality of states and are strongly opposed to double standards which discriminate UN member states. Many of the UN members experience complicated domestic situations, but no concessions are made for their leaders. By the same token, the lion's share of international humanitarian assistance is Ukraine-oriented. Western sponsors seem to have forgotten about the people in need who live in other parts of the globe. They would rather spend billions of USD on arms deliveries to Kiev. Hence Europe’s double standards with regard to migrants. Refugees from Ukraine get the “green light” on all European borders, while refugees from Africa, the Middle East, and other regions are fenced off.
We call on all UN member states to adopt a principled position on that matter.
