Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky implored the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday to completely isolate Russia from the global peacekeeping body, as the majority of council members condemned Moscow for land-grabs of Ukrainian territory.
Zelensky addressed the council as Russia carries out referendums in occupied Ukrainian territory, which the U.S. and U.K. have warned are a pretext to Moscow annexing the land and escalating its military offensive in the country.
“No one will be surprised if this room of the U.N. Security Council will be turned into a zone of violence by representatives of Russia,” Zelensky said in video remarks delivered to the council.
“There is only one way to stop this all. First, the complete isolation of Russia in response to everything it does. The state cannot remain a permanent member to the U.N. Security Council with the right of veto, if such a state is waging a genocidal policy right now, keeping the world one step away from a radiation disaster and at the same time keep on threatening with nuclear strikes. Russia should be excluded from all international organizations.”
Rosemary DiCarlo, the U.N.’s under-secretary-general for political and peacebuilding affairs, told the Security Council that the referendum votes being carried out by Russian officials in Ukraine’s territory “cannot be regarded as legal under international law.”
Russia’s ambassador to the U.N., Vasily Nebenzya said the results from the referenda will be published over the next few days and sought to portray them as “upholding of all electoral norms.”
“Aware that our former Western partners are not listening to us or will rather pretend not to listen to us, the Referendum were conducted exclusively transparently with upholding of all electoral norms, this is an undisputed fact,” Nebenzya said.
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the U.S. and Albania have authored a resolution to reject Russia’s referendum votes in Ukraine and is “calling on member states not to recognize any altered status of Ukraine and obligating Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine.”
The U.S. and allies are mobilizing allies to reject Russia’s attempts at annexing territory in Ukraine, and Kyiv is pushing for supporters to double down on military assistance to deliver Moscow a decisive battlefield defeat.
The Security Council meeting was scheduled in response to Russia’s referendum efforts and followed a meeting earlier in the week on the sidelines of the U.N.’s General Assembly, where the U.S. and other partner countries condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin’s plans to call up 300,000 Russians to military service in Ukraine.
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Zelensky calls to remove Russia from U.N. Security Council https://t.co/zgXktJtrPV pic.twitter.com/vdTYC1JXK6
— The Hill (@thehill) September 27, 2022
The only point about these absurd results is that those involved know its a game and that whatever the result (even if slightly more plausible) it would not legitimate annexations outside of Russia. Its all performative to suit Moscow's current narrative. https://t.co/ZDopymb9CK
— Lawrence Freedman (@LawDavF) September 27, 2022
Russia🇷🇺 is most likely the first and only country in the world where people flee not because someone invaded their country, but because they invaded another country. pic.twitter.com/TzKnoBldP7
— Mikhail Khodorkovsky (English) (@mbk_center) September 27, 2022
Using a #nuclear weapon could bring about the end of Putin’s rule faster than any of the bungled decisions he’s already made. https://t.co/2j5Lf4yEgT
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) September 27, 2022
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