Sergey Lavrov condemns US disregard for UN resolutions

Russia is president of 15-member Security Council this month

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov addresses the UN Security Council. EPA

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov condemned the US on Tuesday for blatantly ignoring UN resolutions, and accused Washington of disregarding the illegality of Israeli control over the Golan Heights.

Leading a ministerial meeting at the Security Council on how countries can work together to make the world a more just place, Mr Lavrov highlighted the need for adherence to the UN Charter's principles.

“Not all states represented in this room recognise the key principle of the UN Charter and the sovereign equality of all states,” Mr Lavrov said.

He warned against engaging in “pointless polemics” and directly criticised the US for its stance.

“The United States has long, through the words of its presidents, declared its own exceptionalism,” and demands from allies an "unquestioning obedience even to the detriment of their national interests," said Mr Lavrov.

The Russian diplomat, whose country is presiding over the Security Council for the month of July, criticised US Secretary of State Antony Blinken for ignoring the illegality of Israeli control over the Golan Heights, despite UN Security Council Resolution 497, which states that Israel's annexation of the territory is illegal.

In 2019, former president Donald Trump officially recognised Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which were seized from Syria in 1967 and annexed in 1981.

Mr Lavrov also reminded the council that on March 25, the US referred to a newly adopted resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip as “not legally binding”.

“In other words, these American rules are more important than Article 25 of the UN Charter,” he asserted.

“The sabotage of resolutions on the Middle East can be discussed endlessly.”

The UAE ambassador to the UN Mohamed Abushahab noted that multilateralism is "under severe strain" and emphasised the need to examine how to "revitalise" it.

"Our multilateral system often fails to facilitate decisive action due to political polarisation and competing interests. This is evident in this council's deliberations on Gaza and Ukraine," he stated.

"The failure of the Security Council to act decisively and the misuse of the veto combined with unimplemented resolutions have undermined the council's ability to protect civilians and allowed the death and suffering of thousands and the displacement of millions to continue unabated. It serves as a case study for why reform is so urgently needed," he added.

Mr Lavrov also accused US President Joe Biden's administration of stoking a war in Ukraine with the “reckless expansion” of Nato and holding Europe “at gunpoint”.

Germany's decision to submit to Washington and station long-range US missiles was an act of “humiliation”, he said.

The Russian Foreign Minister called for peace in Ukraine on terms set out by President Vladimir Putin, which Kyiv has rejected, as well as recognition of a multipolar world, reforming the UN, international financial institutions and other global organisations.

US ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield responded sharply to Mr Lavrov's comments, stating that Moscow “doesn't take this matter [respecting the UN Charter] seriously”.

“As I listened to the Russian representative's statement, I thought I was in the wrong room because this seemed to be a session whining about the United States and the West, and I hardly heard the word 'multilateralism' mentioned,” she said.

“As we speak, Russia continues to erode confidence in our institutions, while willfully and flagrantly violating the core tenets of the United Nations Charter: territorial integrity, respect for human rights, international cooperation."

Just before the meeting, Ukraine’s UN Ambassador, Sergiy Kyslytsya, read a statement on behalf of about 50 countries, including the United States.

“The Russian Federation’s continued illegal actions and blatant hypocrisy undermine multilateral and international cooperation” and “exacerbate regional tensions, and endanger international peace and security,” the 50 countries said.

The joint statement also condemned North Korea’s military support to Moscow in violation of UN sanctions, and violations by Iran when UN sanctions were in effect.