Sergey Kislitsa
Russia remains a strong player at the UN level. The country is a permanent representative of the UN Security Council, where it has the right of veto. And its nuclear arsenal is holding back other countries to deprive Russia of that right. But the very attitude towards Russia deteriorated significantly after February 24, when it attacked Ukraine.
It is the presence of nuclear weapons in Russia that does not allow more active pressure on the UN member countries in order to deprive the Russians of the right of veto. After all, many countries fear for their security.
“If the Russian Federation was not a nuclear state, it would be thrown into the trash heap of the UN only this way. The only thing that keeps other permanent members of the Security Council from taking decisive action is the nuclear arsenal RF,” said the Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN, Serhiy Kislitsa.
At the same time, according to the diplomat, a lot has changed since Russia attacked Ukraine. And now Russia does not have the support it had before. Vasily Nebenga, Permanent Representative of Russia to the UN, has also significantly reduced his circle of contacts.
“Let's remember how Russia chaired the Security Council in February when Lavrov's deputy Vershinin arrived there. The ambassadors of the United States, China, France, Great Britain approached him and Nebenzi, talked soap and pressed their hands. They even went to the Russian residence – they drank vodka and ate kulebyaks. After the attack on Ukraine, no one in the UN Security Council, on their own initiative and without real need, approaches the Russians,” Serhiy Kislitsa said.
At the same time, even UN Secretary General António Guterres did not believe that Russia would attack Ukraine. So it was a shock for him.
“The drama of the situation is that Russia carried out the attack after the meeting of the General Assembly (February 23 – Channel 24), where the issue of the occupied territories of Ukraine was considered, and during the Security Council itself, It was a turning point for the Secretary General, who has since taken a position of principle and began to address Putin directly in a decisive tone and literally shout: “Putin, stop the war!”, Sergey Kislitsa said.
After this appeal, the Russian leadership is trying in every way to avoid Guterres.He was not even able to talk with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who ignored him.
