La war Russia e Ukraine we also fight with words. The Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky he found himself face to face for the first time with whoever started that war. Obviously not the leader of the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin, but his right-hand man, the Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. That unlike the Russian leader, he does not have an international arrest warrant for war crimes on his back, and can therefore travel freely. The meeting took place at the UN headquarters in New York, where Lavrov and Zelensky both took part in the special session of UN Security Council on the conflict in Ukraine. The Ukrainian leader for his part called for reforms and posed unacceptable peace conditions for Moscow, while the head of Russian diplomacy confirmed the profound contempt that his government has for the West and that Russia no longer recognizes the international order, of which it has until now been a part with a permanent seat at the UN, and wants to demolish it.
Zelensky against Russia's presence in the UN Security Council
“Most of the world recognizes that Russia's actions in Ukraine are criminal and unprovoked and aimed at seizing Ukrainian territory and resources,” Zelensky said, speaking first in the special session. Then, after complaining about the impotence of the UN in the conflict, the Ukrainian president defined Russia's presence within the Security Council as "illegitimate": "The veto power in the hands of the aggressor is what pushed the 'UN in this stalemate. In the event of a mass atrocity, the power of veto should be suspended and the UN General Assembly should have the power to overcome it,” he continued, once again recalling the 10-point peace plan and which for Kiev can indicate the way to end the war, starting with the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from all occupied territories, including Crimea. “May peace prevail, may our institutions and our cooperation become stronger,” concluded Zelensky, before dramatically leaving the hall of the Security Council in New York, refusing to listen to even a single word uttered by the head of diplomacy of the Aggressor country.
Lavrov's response
Lavrov's reply was not long in coming. Putin's Foreign Minister reiterated the usual ones charges to United States and his allies, who “have interfered in Ukrainian affairs since the fall of the USSR”. And “it is the West's fault that the risks of global conflict have increased”. The leader of Kiev, consequently, would be nothing more than "a puppet of the USA", and would in fact be forced to negotiate with Moscow as soon as Washington wanted to "order" him to do so. As for the stalemate in the conflict, the minister reiterated: "Moscow does not reject negotiations, it is Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky who signed a decree to prohibit dialogue with President Putin."
Also Antony blinken, US Secretary of State, responded to Lavrov's provocations by claiming that Zelensky "proposed a 10-point plan" for peace in Ukraine, while the head of the Kremlin "did not present anything". Blinken sent "a clear message not only to Russia: we will defend ourselves, we will not stand by in case of challenges to our rules", in what appears to be a warning also aimed at China.
