Ukraine blocks Russian UN Resolution attempting to lift sanctions
Ukraine has blocked the UN declaration attempting to lift sanctions which was initiated by the Russian Federation, reported the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
"Russia does not give up trying to adopt manipulative resolutions in the UN General Assembly. Under the guise of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, they aim to obscure the sanctions regime. On April 22, the Russian Federation submitted a new document for approval. The text has been revised, but its manipulative essence has not changed," reads the statement on the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry's Facebook page.
According to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, the Ukrainian delegation interrupted the "silent procedure" and blocked the Russian initiative.
"As I promised in early April, we will continue blocking Russia's attempts to undermine the sanctions regime. Effective fight against the pandemic requires real solutions that will bring practical benefits. And we don't need politicized resolutions that aim to ease sanctions," said the Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba.
Kuleba said that the UN General Assembly has already approved two effective resolutions to combat the coronavirus, co-sponsored by Ukraine.
"Our country is committed to the fight against the pandemic and the effective and coordinated actions of the world community. The overall goal is to defeat the virus but not to allow military aggression," he added.
"The [Russian] appeal to solve problems "like good neighbors" looks particularly cynical. Let me remind you that the UN General Assembly has recognized Russia as an occupier and an aggressor state," commented Oleg Nikolenko, speaker of the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the United Nations and Vice-Chairman of the UN Committee on Information from the Eastern European Regional Group.
He added that Ukraine’s partners - the United States, Canada, Great Britain, the EU, Georgia, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, the Republic of Korea - also opposed the Russian declaration.
On April 3, Ukraine blocked Russia's previous attempt to pass a resolution in the UN General Assembly, which would create conditions for easing sanctions.