UNITED STATES. New York: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy made his first in-person appearance at a U.N. Security Council session addressing Russia’s incursion into his country. However, Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia raised objections to Zelenskiy taking the floor at the beginning of the meeting.
In response, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, presiding over the meeting, offered a sharp retort aimed at Russia. Rama stated, “I want to assure our Russian colleagues and everyone here that this is not a special operation by the Albanian presidency,” which elicited applause from the room. Rama continued, suggesting that if Russia agreed to stop the war, Zelenskiy would not speak.
Nebenzia disagreed and accused Rama of making politically biased statements instead of maintaining a neutral role as the guardian of procedural matters.
Following the meeting, Zelenskiy expressed gratitude to Rama on social media, commending him for handling Russia’s lies and hypocrisy correctly.
During his speech, Zelenskiy proposed that Russia should lose its veto power as one of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council due to its aggression against Ukraine.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov defended Moscow’s use of the veto, accusing Kyiv and Western nations of selectively adhering to the principles of the 1945 U.N. Charter when it suits them.
The Ukraine conflict has strained international relations, with Russia justifying its invasion by claiming that Ukraine’s Western alignment, including NATO aspirations, threatens its national security. This assertion is denied by Ukraine and its allies.
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