Scholz attacks Putin unusually sharply in the UN Security Council
“Lavrov was talking against a wall here”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made serious accusations against the West in the UN Security Council. “This is in line with what we have always heard from Russian diplomats,” says WELT correspondent Michael Wüllenweber.
Exchange of blows before the UN Security Council: In his speech, Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz attacked Russian President Vladimir Putin in an unusually harsh manner. Previously, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had also spoken clearly to the West.
bChancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) sharply attacked Russian President Vladimir Putin in his first speech to the UN Security Council. “The reason why the suffering continues in Ukraine and around the world is shockingly simple: Russia’s president wants to implement his imperialist plan to conquer its sovereign neighbor, Ukraine,” Scholz told the most powerful UN body on Wednesday in New York.
He called on Putin to comply with the UN General Assembly’s request to withdraw his troops and thus end the war. “To date it has not been answered. Nothing rings louder today than Russia’s silence in response to this global appeal for peace,” said Scholz.
The UN General Assembly passed a resolution in February – a year after the Russian invasion of Ukraine – calling for the withdrawal of troops. 141 of the 193 member states voted in favor and only six, along with Russia, voted against. There were 32 abstentions, including from China and India. Since then there has been no new resolution.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks at the UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine
Source: dpa/Michael Kappeler
Scholz was the last speaker in the three-hour Security Council meeting. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov were no longer present at the time.
The Chancellor also accused Russia of deliberately depriving the global market of millions of tons of grain and fertilizer needed by countries around the world. “Russia is deliberately targeting grain silos and port infrastructure. And Russia has unilaterally canceled the Black Sea Grains Initiative, deepening poverty and food insecurity around the world.”
As on Tuesday evening before the general assembly, Scholz supported peace efforts, but also warned against a sham solution to the conflict. “Peace without freedom is oppression. Peace without justice is a dictate,” he said. “The more determined we are for a just peace and the more united we are in our rejection of Russian aggression, the sooner this war will end.”
Lavrov makes serious accusations against the West
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had previously reacted to Zelensky’s appearance with serious accusations against the West. In the rhetoric of Russia’s Western opponents you can hear the slogans “invasion”, “aggression”, “annexation” and not a word about the causes of the problems, Lavrov said at the UN Security Council. He made the comments as part of a long historical treatise on developments in Crimea, which his country has occupied since 2014, and the subsequent negotiations with the West. It seems as if people are afraid of technical discussions, said Lavrov, who accused the West of demagoguery.
Lavrov accused the West of having a “superiority complex.” From case to case, the West selectively resorts to norms and principles “based solely on its narrow geopolitical needs.” This has led to a disruption of global stability and to the exacerbation and emergence of new sources of tension. “The risks of global conflicts have increased” instead of containing them and putting things on a peaceful path, the Russian foreign minister said. Russia continues to insist that all provisions of the United Nations Charter be respected and applied, “not selectively, but in full.”