Russia’s Lavrov warns about world being on ‘dangerous threshold’, slammed by West at UNSC

At the United Nations Security Council meeting on Monday (April 24), Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned the 15-member body about the world reaching a threshold “possibly even more dangerous” than during the Cold War. At the same forum, Western diplomats accused Moscow, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the UNSC, of hypocrisy while some also condemned its invasion of Ukraine.

Lavrov’s remarks at the UNSC

Russia’s top diplomat was leading the session titled “maintenance of international peace and security,” which was focused on the maintenance of the UN charter, international rules, and multilateralism. “As during the Cold War, we have reached the dangerous, possibly even more dangerous threshold,” said Lavrov, while addressing the council.

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He added, “the situation is worsened with the loss of trust in multilateralism.” The Russian foreign minister also went on to talk about how “nobody allowed the Western minority to speak for all of humankind. They need to be polite and respect all members of the international community.”

Lavrov also accused the “United States and its allies” of “abandoning diplomacy and demanding clarification of relations on the battlefield.”

Notably, the last time Russia presided over the council was February 2022 which is the same month it launched what Moscow calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine.

Lavrov, during his address, mentioned acts of aggression by the West including the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the invasion of Iraq, and so on.

The West slams Russia

During the session, several diplomats including the United States, United Kingdom, and Switzerland condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “Our hypocritical convener today, Russia, invaded its neighbour, Ukraine, and struck at the heart of the UN Charter,” said the US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield.

She added, “This illegal, unprovoked and unnecessary war runs directly counter to our most shared principles – that a war of aggression and territorial conquest is never, ever acceptable.” Furthermore, the US representative also spoke about how as they sit there as “aggression continues…Russian forces continue to kill and injure civilians.”

The US representative also called for the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich. The meeting was also attended by Elizabeth Whelan, an American whose brother, Paul Whelan, is imprisoned in Russia.

Ahead of the UNSC session, the European Union countries, along similar lines, issued a statement which condemned Moscow. “Russia is trying to portray itself as a defender of the UN charter and multilateralism. Nothing can be further from the truth. It’s cynical,” said Olaf Skoog, the EU representative to the UN.

UN chief criticises Russia over its invasion of Ukraine

In his opening remarks to the session, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres who was sitting next to Lavrov also condemned the Russian invasion and said that it was in “violation of the United Nations Charter and international law, is causing massive suffering and devastation to the country and its people, and adding to the global economic dislocation triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic”.

He added, “Tensions between major powers are at an historic high. So are the risks of conflict, through misadventure or miscalculation.”

(With inputs from agencies)

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