Russia on Monday accused the United States and Western countries of violating disarmament agreements by supplying arms to Ukraine, eventually accusing it of turning to “rogue regimes” such as Iran and North Korea to illegally obtain resources to attack Kiev .
In an open United Nations (UN) Security Council debate on “Risks arising from violations of the agreements regulating the export of arms and military equipment”, Western member states questioned Russia’s convening of this debate, which chair this debate. month at the body, emphasizing Ukraine’s right to self-defense under the UN Charter.
For U.S. diplomatic representative Robert Wood, the meeting was “a thinly veiled attempt to portray Russia as a responsible gun control actor, trying to obscure the reality that it was launching an unwarranted armed invasion of its neighbor.” .
“We should not pretend that the conflict in Ukraine is a matter of arms export systems. Ukraine has been invaded and has every right to defend itself and the international community has every right to continue its longstanding support for Ukraine’s defense. Ukraine ,” he added.
The diplomat of the US mission to the UN also indicated that the Ukrainian government is committed to protecting and adequately accounting for transferred defense equipment, establishing a commission in 2022 to oversee donated military equipment.
Russia, on the other hand, has never let facts get in the way of its false narratives. In a blatant attempt to discredit Ukraine and undermine international support for Ukraine’s self-defense, Russia continues to misinform about embezzlement,” Wood said. .
“In fact, the greatest risk of illicit trafficking stems from the capture of weapons on the battlefield by Russia and pro-Russian forces. Russia has proposed to deliver captured weapons to separatists in eastern Ukraine. These statements and actions are dangerous and irresponsible” , he said. advocated.
The US diplomat also accused Russia of resorting to “rogue regimes” to try to illegally obtain arms and equipment to support its military operations, highlighting that North Korea will deliver “missiles” and missiles to Russia in November 2022 supplied for use by the Wagner missiles. Group, in direct violation of Security Council resolutions, of which Russia is a permanent member.
Wood also recalled that Iran has also handed over “drones” to Russia, “a fact that Iran’s foreign minister acknowledged in public statements on Nov. to attack.
Russian ambassador Vasily Nebenzya responded that these “baseless allegations” are being “officially refuted” by the Russian government.
In an apparent reference to the United States, Nebenzya criticized countries distributing weapons based on “their own geopolitical ambitions” to “various regions of the world, including the Middle East, the Balkans and North Africa”.
“The crisis that [os países ocidentais ] provoked in Ukraine was a clear demonstration of the lack of sincerity in supporting international efforts to curb the uncontrolled proliferation of arms,” the Russian diplomat said, adding that Moscow had repeatedly warned of the “dangerous consequences” of arming from Kyiv.
“Both the United States and its allies are pressuring third countries to violate agreements with Russia and other states to increase arms purchases for Kiev,” he charged.
This debate also included the intervention of the UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Izumi Nakamitsu, who warned of the importance of measures to combat the possible diversion of weapons and ammunition.
According to international standards cited by Nakamitsu, any transfer of arms and ammunition must include pre-transfer risk assessments and post-shipment audits, such as on-site inspection and end-user audits.
“Weapons and ammunition tracking is another important measure to effectively address distractions. This requires marking of conventional weapons and their ammunition, record keeping and protocols for international cooperation,” he said.
Source: DN
