Russia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin told RT that Ukraine received no support from UN Security Council members during a meeting devoted to the escalated fighting in eastern Ukraine in the region of Avdiivka.
“They were supported by only the United Kingdom and the United States. The rest said that Minsk agreement must be carried out “, – Churkin said.
Security Council members agreed that the conflict in the Donbas must be solved politically rather than militarily. At the same time, the United States, Britain, France and other countries noted that Russia must fulfill its obligations under the Minsk agreements.
US Representative Nikki Haley said the “dire situation in eastern Ukraine is one that demands clear and strong condemnation of Russian actions”. She made it clear eastern Ukraine is just one part of Ukraine suffering because of Russia’s aggression and underscored that sanctions would remain in place until Russia returns control of the Crimean peninsula to Ukraine.
The UK Ambassador to the UN, Matthew Rycroft, told the UN meeting that “we frequently hear from the Russian government that all the problems in eastern Ukraine are the consequence of actions by the Ukrainian government. This is simply not the case. It is an inversion of reality. The responsibility of the inception and continuation of the conflict in eastern Ukraine lies squarely with Russia and the separatists it supports. ”
Russian words are not the same as Russian deeds, Rycroft pointed out and called on Russia to comply with its Minsk commitments and stop equipping and arming the separatists, withdraw its forces from all of Ukraine, including Crimea. Russia cannot be lifted until this happens, he emphasized.
France’s Permanent Representative of the UN Francois Delattre called on all parties to support the trilateral contact group and the immediate resumption of the ceasefire in accordance with the Minsk agreements.
“Our goal is to restore Ukraine’s control over all of its internationally-recognized borders. It is necessary to re-establish control over the Crimea” he said.
