Security Council Speakers Argue Over Western Countries Supplying Arms That Support Ukraine’s Right to Self-Defence Against Russian Federation’s
Amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, speakers in the Security Council today examined the justification and consequences of arms supplies from the West to Kyiv, with many arguing that these weapons support that country’s self-defence against the Russian Federation’s invasion and others expressing concern that such military assistance makes a peaceful settlement a distant hope.
Briefing the 15-nation organ, Izumi Nakamitsu, High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, said the provision of military assistance to the armed forces of Ukraine, reportedly including heavy conventional weapons and missile systems, has continued, adding that there have also been reports of States transferring or planning to transfer weapons, such as uncrewed combat aerial vehicles and ammunition, to the Russian Federation’s armed forces for use in Ukraine.
“The influx of weapons and ammunition into any armed conflict can contribute to an escalation and presents significant risks of diversion and proliferation even after the conflict has ended,” she warned, calling for measures to address the risk of these arms ending up in the hands of unauthorized end-users. Urging States to join treaties and instruments, including the Arms Trade Treaty and the Firearms Protocol, she stressed that transparency in arms transfers is a confidence-building measure, which can serve to reduce tensions, ambiguities and misperceptions.
Danny Haiphong, a journalist writing about human rights abuses and war crimes committed worldwide by the United States, said that tens of billions of his country’s tax dollars go to funding and arming a proxy war against the Russian Federation while its ordinary people suffer from rising levels of poverty, homelessness and suicide.
Washington, D.C., is the biggest arms exporter in the world, comprising 40 per cent of all global sales, which have been “instrumental in some of the bloodiest wars of the last two generations”, he pointed out, stressing that ongoing Western arms sales to Ukraine violate the Charter of the United Nations. The United States and its Western partners must learn to operate within the framework of international law, “just like all other Member States, or the world will face the continued threat of instability and war,” he emphasized.
In the ensuing debate, while many Council members voiced concern about civilian casualties and called for diplomatic efforts towards a peaceful solution, several speakers questioned the motive of the Russian Federation in calling today’s meeting.
The Russian Federation’s representative explained that Western weapons are creeping all over the world, including the black markets in conflict areas in Latin America and Africa, thus directly undermining security. Calling Western assurances that the weapons used in Ukraine will not be used in violation of international humanitarian law “a direct lie”, he said Kyiv has been using cluster bombs to strike areas in Donetsk that have no military targets.
Rebutting such argument, the representative of the United States, Council President for August, spoke in his national capacity to express his country’s continued support for Ukraine’s self-defence, including through the provision of arms and equipment. “Russia is telling us that it is not the invading country that is responsible for the crisis,” he said, denouncing Moscow’s irresponsible nuclear rhetoric, including their announcement regarding the stationing of nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus.
In the same vein, Albania’s delegate, noting that information on arms transfers to Ukraine is open data, said that such transfers are legal and justified. Further, Article 51 of the UN Charter provides a clear legal basis for individual States to offer assistance to a country exercising its inherent right to self-defence.
Echoing that, Japan’s delegate said that arms supplies are driven by Ukraine’s necessity to protect itself, saying: “Rather than suggesting that support for Ukraine will imperil diplomatic efforts, Russia should immediately withdraw all its troops and military equipment from Ukraine”.
France’s representative pointed out that the Kremlin called today’s meeting “to spread its propaganda”, stressing that it was Moscow that deliberately undermined collective security through its illegal, unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine.
Injecting a different view, Brazil’s representative said that the increasing flow of weapons into the conflict in Ukraine assumes that there is a military solution to this conflict. He warned that the massive and ongoing introduction of arms into that country can erode the potential for a peaceful resolution.
Along the same lines, China’s delegate said that the massive influx of equipment to the battlefield makes the hope of ceasing hostilities more remote. “Weapons may be used to win the war; however, they cannot win peace,” he said, stressing the need for peace through dialogue.
As well, Gabon’s representative cautioned that a dreaded scenario is unfolding, namely that of massive rearmament, which clearly is reversing the expectations of most Member States that have made remarkable efforts towards general global disarmament. She called upon all parties to open the channels of engagement and silence the guns.
Rounding up the discussion, Ukraine’s delegate reported that remnants of Hk-101 missiles show that Moscow has been able produce such weapons and circumvent sanctions. Highlighting the enforced assimilation and the deporting of Ukrainian residents from occupied territories, he stated: “For my nation, this is an existential battle for survival.” All weapons, whether produced by Ukraine or received from allies, serve to engage in that fight and “stop the dictatorship infected with insane imperial sentiments,” he stated.
https://press.un.org/en/2023/sc15388.doc.htm
Комментариев нет:
Отправить комментарий