Russia, Ukraine face off at UN with rival tributes to dead
Published:Friday | February 24, 2023 | 4:08 PM
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Russia and Ukraine faced off at the United Nations Security Council on Friday on the first anniversary of their war, with their confrontation even extending to duelling moments of silence for the dead.
The showdown began before the session formally started, with Russia's ambassador demanding to know why Ukraine was ahead of council members on the speakers list.
Most dramatically, in the middle of the meeting, the two countries tussled over tributes to the victims of the war.
And it culminated with rival views on how to achieve peace.
Near the beginning, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that, “finally, on this tragic day, when we mourn lives, and destinies broken by Russia, I kindly ask everyone to observe a minute of silence in memory of the victims of the aggression.”
He rose to his feet.
Everyone in the council chamber stood in silence.
But even in a moment of respect for the war dead, Ukraine and Russia were at odds.
As soon as Kuleba sat down, Russia's UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia asked for the floor, saying: “We are getting to our feet to honour the memory of all victims of what has happened in Ukraine starting in 2014 – all of those who perished.”
Nebenzia's use of 2014 and double emphasis on the word “all,” were references to Russia's claims that the conflict with Ukraine began that year after Ukraine's Moscow-friendly president was driven from office by mass protests.
Russia responded by annexing Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and then threw its weight behind an insurgency in the mostly Russian-speaking eastern Ukraine region known as Donbas that continues and which Putin has illegally annexed.
“All lives are priceless, and that is why we're rising to honour the memory of them all,” Nebenzia said, referring to Russians, pro-Russian Ukrainians in the east as well as Ukrainians elsewhere in the country.
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