Lavrov criticized for Russia’s war in Ukraine at UN

UNITED NATIONS — The United States and Western allies exchanged blows with Russia over its ongoing war in Ukraine and accused Moscow of violating the UN Charter, during a lengthy Security Council meeting chaired by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Lavrov, who flew from Moscow to New York to chair the Security Council, defended his country’s “special military operation” in Ukraine in opening remarks before the international forum. He also repeated statements that Kyiv was the real aggressor.

Lavrov then blamed the United States for exacerbating geopolitical challenges around the world, including tensions between China and Taiwan.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US ambassador to the UN, again blamed Russia during her opening remarks before the 15-member group.

“Our hypocritical convener today, Russia, invaded its neighbor Ukraine and struck at the heart of the UN Charter,” Thomas-Greenfield said, referring to the UN’s founding document that vows to preserve sovereignty, peace, justice and the prevention of war.

“This illegal, unprovoked and unnecessary war directly contradicts our most sacred principle: that war of aggression and territorial conquest is never, ever acceptable,” he said. “Today it is Ukraine, but tomorrow it could be another country, another small country invaded by its bigger neighbor,” he added.

Speaking directly to Lavrov, Thomas-Greenfield repeated calls for the immediate release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former US Marine Paul Whelan, whose sister attended the meeting.

“I want minister Lavrov to look into his eyes and see his suffering. I want you to see what it feels like to miss your brother for four years. To know that he is in prison, in a penal colony of Russia, just because you want to use him for your own purposes,” Thomas-Greenfield said.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, sitting next to Lavrov, criticized Russia’s war, saying it was a violation of the United Nations Charter and international law.

The conflict, he said, is “causing enormous suffering and destruction to the country and its people and adding to the global economic dislocation triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic.”

He warned that tensions between major world powers were at “historic highs.”

Guterres also called for the extension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, a UN-backed agreement that established a humanitarian sea corridor for Ukrainian agricultural products.

The agreement allowed for more than 25 million metric tons of grain and food to leave Ukrainian ports for destinations around the world. Russia has previously said it may not renew the agreement, which has an expiration date in mid-May.

Britain’s UN Ambassador Barbara Woodward said Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine had caused “unimaginable suffering to that country while trampling on the UN Charter.”

“Thousands of Ukrainians have been killed and millions displaced,” he said, adding that billions of people around the world are feeling the effects of higher energy prices and food insecurity due to the ongoing conflict of Kremlin.

He added that the war also triggered “an unmitigated disaster for Russia as well.”

The Japanese envoy also denounced Moscow’s war and demanded the immediate withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.

“It is an irony, even a tragedy, that the Russian Federation, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, continues unilateral aggression against Ukraine while hosting an open debate on effective multilateralism by defending the principles of the UN Charter,” said Ishikane Kimihiro, Japan’s permanent representative to the United Nations.

“Russia’s unprovoked, continued aggression is nothing but a blatant violation of the principles of the UN Charter,” he added.