UN Security Council members condemn Russia for continuing its invasion of Ukraine
- Session convenes after Russian President Vladimir Putin orders ‘partial mobilisations’ of reservists and vows to use ‘all the means at our disposal to protect Russia’
- China and India both avoid making direct references to Moscow in their comments during the council meeting
Russia faced withering criticism in a UN Security Council meeting on Thursday, with most members calling on the Kremlin to end its war against Ukraine, while China and India avoided direct references to Moscow.
No resolution was offered and no vote was taken, because as a permanent member of the council, Russia would have vetoed it as it did with one on February 25, the day after it invaded Ukraine, that called for its immediate withdrawal of all troops.
Even so, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, who currently holds the council’s rotating presidency, called the meeting – billed as “maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine” – during the annual United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Assembled on short notice, the council session followed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement on Wednesday of a “partial mobilisation” of military reservists along with a vow to use “all the means at our disposal to protect Russia”.
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Diplomats and analysts regard the comment as a veiled threat of a nuclear response to the setbacks the Russian military has suffered in Ukraine, raising the urgency to put Russia in the spotlight.