NEW YORK, USA – In a dramatic show of dissent, representatives from the United States, United Kingdom, Albania, and Malta walked out of a United Nations Security Council meeting on Wednesday, April 6, 2024.
The walkout occurred as Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s commissioner for children’s rights, addressed the council amid accusations of spreading “disinformation” regarding the conflict in Ukraine.
Lvova-Belova, who appeared virtually, spoke during an informal meeting called by Moscow to discuss what Russia termed the “evacuation” of Ukrainian children from conflict zones.
The session coincided with Russia’s controversial tenure as president of the Security Council, which began on April 1.
This incident follows closely after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant last month for Lvova-Belova and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
They are accused of deporting Ukrainian children to Russia, an action reported by CNN and other outlets and extensively documented by the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab’s Conflict Observatory.
Ahead of the meeting, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield criticized Russia’s use of its Security Council presidency to disseminate propaganda.
“As Russia takes on the presidency of the Security Council, we will use every opportunity to push back on their using their perch in the chair to spread disinformation and to use their chair to push support of their efforts,” Thomas-Greenfield told reporters.
In a further move to limit Russia’s influence, Thomas-Greenfield revealed that the United States, supported by the United Kingdom, had blocked the webcast of the meeting to prevent Lvova-Belova from using the UN platform to justify her actions or spread further disinformation.
During Lvova-Belova’s speech, the representatives from the aforementioned countries exited the meeting in protest.
Following the walkout, Russia’s UN envoy, Vassily Nebenzia, lamented the departure as “a clear demonstration of their indifference to the fate of the children of Donbas and Ukrainian children.”
The Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, also weighed in, describing Russia’s presidency of the Security Council as “the world’s worst April Fool’s joke.”
He criticised Russia for overseeing a body meant to protect international security while simultaneously violating those very principles in Ukraine.
The presidency of the Security Council rotates alphabetically among its 15 member nations and is intended to be a neutral facilitator of discussions.
However, Russia’s current presidency has sparked significant controversy, particularly concerning its handling of matters related to Ukraine.
