Belligerence demonstrated by Kiev’s EU backers will only push them into greater isolation, the Russian foreign ministry has said
The aggressive position of Ukraine’s EU backers makes them unfit for taking part in the peace process, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday. Their desire to push divisive narratives will only harm their own relations with the international community, it added.
The actions of active Ukraine supporters among the EU nations show that they “had firmly embarked on a path of militarism” and had “lost the right” to take part in the Ukraine conflict resolution, according to the Russian ministry.
It was commenting on the two competing resolutions on Ukraine that were submitted to the UN General Assembly on Monday to mark the 3rd year of the conflict between Moscow and Kiev. One of them was initiated by Kiev and its EU backers and condemned Russia.
Moscow blasted the document over “recycling baseless accusations and ultimatums against Russia, selective citation of the UN Charter” and ignoring the root causes of the ongoing hostilities. According to the ministry, the resolution was aimed at increasing international support for the so-called ‘Zelensky peace formula’ – Kiev’s plan for resolving the conflict mostly based on a set of demands and preconditions Russia has repeatedly branded as unacceptable.
The document received a record low support in the UN General Assembly, the foreign ministry said, adding that more than half of the UN members did not back it. The resolution was endorsed by 93 nations and opposed by 18, with 65 abstentions. The remaining members of the 193-strong body did not vote.
The competing resolution put forward by the US, which initially only expressed sorrow for the loss of life in the conflict and called for a sustainable peace was “turned into yet another anti-Russian pamphlet” through “obnoxious” amendments introduced by Kiev’s EU backers, the ministry stated.
“The meaning of the initiative was distorted to a point when even its US authors could not endorse their own document,” the Russian statement said. The EU nations’ delegates then also tried to delay the voting on a similar US-sponsored resolution at the UN Security Council, it added.
Such actions run counter to the will of the international community, Moscow believes. Most nations would like to contribute to the swift resolution of the ongoing conflict, according to the ministry. Kiev’s EU backers could end up “in isolation” due to their belligerent stance, it warned.
The EU and some of its member states have stepped up their aggressive rhetoric this month after Moscow and Washington announced plans to restore ties and work on resolving the Ukraine conflict. On Monday, the bloc adopted its 16th package of Ukraine-related restrictions, marking the anniversary of the launch of the Russian military operation against Kiev’s forces in February 2022.
However, shortly after assuming office in January US President Donald Trump pivoted Washington’s stance on Ukraine. Trump recently claimed that Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky is responsible for escalating the conflict and declared that Zelensky’s participation in meetings between Washington and Russia is unnecessary.
EU top diplomat and former Estonian prime minister, Kaja Kallas, accused the US of adopting a “Russian narrative” under the new administration and stated that Brussels should “support Ukraine right now more than ever.”
