Russia’s permanent representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya voted against the draft resolution on Gaza proposed by the United States. Russia and China vetoed US draft resolution on ceasefire in Gaza Peace and Security
On Friday at the UN Security Council, Russia and China vetoed a US draft resolution that called for the “imperative” of an immediate and stable ceasefire “to protect civilians on all sides”, relieve delivery of necessary assistance and support for ongoing negotiations between Israel and Hamas.
11 out of 15 Security Council members voted for the resolution, three – Russia, China and Algeria – spoke out against it, Guyana abstained.
The US proposal also called for the release of all hostages and the use of any ceasefire to intensify diplomatic efforts aimed at creating the conditions for a sustainable cessation of hostilities and lasting peace. Of all the resolutions proposed for consideration by the Security Council on this issue, the US draft voted on Friday for the first time contained words condemning the Hamas attack on Israel.
Speaking after the vote, US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Russia had put politics ahead of progress by vetoing the resolution. She said that Russia and China are not doing anything meaningful to promote peace.
The US Ambassador added that the United States, in turn, will continue to work for peace with Qatar and Egypt as part of ongoing negotiations.
UK Ambassador Barbara Woodward said her delegation voted in favor because the Palestinians are facing a devastating crisis and need immediate assistance. She expressed disappointment that China and Russia vetoed the US option.
In the meantime, the UK will “do everything possible” to get aid to Gaza by land, sea and air, she added.
Before the vote, Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya said that the United States had repeatedly promised to negotiate an end to hostilities. Now that more than 30,000 Gazans have already died, the US has accepted the need for a ceasefire, he said. “imperative” in its resolution. This is not enough, and the Council must “demand” a ceasefire, he stressed. Nebenzya explained that the text did not call for a ceasefire and accused the US authorities of deliberately misleading the international community. He also said that by putting forward this project, the US leadership was simply “throwing a bone” to American voters.
Chinese Ambassador Zhang Jun, in turn, said that the Council should call to an immediate and unconditional ceasefire. Therefore, in an effort to protect the UN Charter and the “dignity” of the Council, as well as the point of view of the Arab states, China voted against the US draft.
He reported a new draft resolution prepared by 10 members Council. This project, he said, clearly speaks to the issue of ceasefire and therefore China supports it.
He called criticism of the Chinese and Russian vetoes by the UK and US “hypocritical” and said if they were serious about a ceasefire they should support a new one project.
Material being updated…