Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier this week that his nuclear-armed country “will certainly use all means at our disposal” if its territory is threatened and to defend the country and its people. Blinken used a council meeting on Thursday to criticize Russia’s invasion and press other countries to join Washington’s strong condemnations of the conflict. He cited atrocities he said were committed by Russia — and suggested more could be committed. “Every member of the Council should send a clear message that these reckless nuclear threats must stop immediately,” he said. The Security Council has held dozens of contentious meetings on Ukraine since the war began in February, but Thursday’s meeting was particularly prestigious: It was held during the annual General Assembly of United Nations leaders and brought several foreign ministers to the table. Called by France, the current council president, the meeting focused on addressing accountability for alleged abuses and atrocities the US and other Western members have repeatedly accused Russia of perpetrating. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, meanwhile, repeated his country’s frequent claims that Kyiv has long oppressed Russian-speakers in eastern Ukraine – one of several explanations Moscow has offered for the invasion. Ukraine’s Western allies, he said, were “covering up the crimes of the Kiev regime.” Lavrov was not in the room when Blinken and some other US allies spoke, appearing only shortly before his own speech. Despite Blinken’s strong words, no one expects the council to act against Russia, as Moscow has veto power as a permanent member. Instead, a US official said Blinken’s goal was to persuade other members to impress upon Moscow the global damage the war is causing and demand it end. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to view Blinken’s speech before speaking. The meeting came a day after President Joe Biden attacked Putin for flagrant violations of the UN Charter and international law. At the UN Security Council, Blinken argued that Russia should face further censure and isolation for its invasion. Citing several allegations of war crimes and other atrocities, he called out countries that have yet to speak out strongly against them as an affront to the international order. He noted that the war had not only caused massive devastation to Ukraine and the Ukrainian people, but had also distracted the council from other global crises, including potential famines, climate change and widespread poverty. As the meeting began, there were already signs of a charged atmosphere around the famous horseshoe-shaped council table. Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, told reporters early that he planned to keep a “safe social distance” from Lavrov. And as council officials prepared to put up a placard marking Ukraine’s seat next to Russia, Kuleba apparently raised objections — the placard was moved elsewhere. Lavrov was not in the room at the time. The International Criminal Court opened an investigation in March into possible war crimes and sent teams to gather evidence. Prosecutor Karim Khan told the council on Thursday that he would send more ICC officials next week to look into complaints arising from eastern Ukraine. Kahn has yet to announce charges connected to the conflict, but reiterated to the council that he believes there are reasonable grounds to believe crimes have been committed. “The picture I have seen so far is indeed alarming,” he said. Ukraine, meanwhile, pushed for the creation of a special court to prosecute alleged war crimes. On Wednesday, Ukraine’s president laid out a detailed case against Russia’s invasion of the United Nations and called for punishment from world leaders in a speech hours after Moscow made an emergency announcement that it would mobilize some reservists for the war effort. Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised in a videotaped speech to world leaders that his forces would not stop until they recaptured all of Ukraine. “We can return the Ukrainian flag to our entire territory. We can do it by force of arms,” Zelensky said. “But we need time.”
Associated Press photographer Mary Altaffer contributed.
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