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Ukraine- Security Council, 8999th Meeting
Delegate Calls Moscow’s Claims Nonsense, ‘Rehash of Amateurish Information’
The United Nations is still not aware of any biological weapons programme being conducted in Ukraine, the senior disarmament official told the Security Council today, responding to fresh allegations by the Russian Federation of the existence of such research.
Izumi Nakamitsu, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, addressed the Council at the outset of the emergency session, as several of its 15 members denounced the meeting as a “charade” and “not worthy of a permanent member of the Security Council”.
Referring to the Russian Federation’s circulation of fresh documents alleging the existence of biological weapons programmes in Ukraine, she said the United Nations has neither the mandate nor the capacity to investigate such allegations. Reiterating her statement before the Council at a similar meeting on 11 March, she stressed that the United Nations is not aware of any such biological weapons programme in Ukraine (see Press Release SC/14827). She added that both the Russian Federation and Ukraine are States parties to the 1972 Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention, which effectively prohibits the development, production, acquisition, transfer, stockpiling and use of biological and toxin weapons.
The representative of the Russian Federation, outlining his delegation’s newly circulated documents, said evidence of dangerous biological weapons projects — carried out in Ukraine, and supported by the United States — was recently discovered in the course of his country’s special military operation. On 11 March, when confronted by similar evidence, the delegate of the United States was not able to explain documented proof of a 2005 agreement signed between United States and Ukrainian ministers, which laid out support for joint biological research on Ukrainian territory.
Over the last week, he said, new details have come to light, namely that the components for biological weapons were being created on Ukrainian territory. Citing proof of direct United States funding to Ukraine amounting to $32 million, he said the new documents refute United State assertions that it does not operate any biological laboratories in Ukraine. “The facts show otherwise,” he said, noting that Ukrainian authorities gave the United States carte blanche to carry out dangerous experiments on its territory in return for free travel to international conferences. Those included studies into Crimean-Congo Fever, leptospirosis and other dangerous pathogens, whose use could be easily dressed up as “naturally occurring”. “We are talking about more and more proof that, at the heart of Central Europe, a dangerous biological operation was being carried out,” he stressed, warning that the new evidence is “only the tip of the iceberg” and pledging to keep the global community informed as more facts emerge.
Responding to those allegations, the representative of the United States recalled that the Council already heard a similar “tirade of bizarre conspiracy theories” at its 11 March meeting. Today, the Russian Federation’s claims sound as if they were forwarded through a chain email from “some dark corner of the Internet”. As she said on 11 March, Ukraine does not have a biological weapons programme, but only hosts public health facilities that are proudly supported by the United States, the World Health Organization (WHO) and other Governments and international institutions. Moreover, she expressed grave concern that today’s fresh allegations could be part of a Russian “false flag effort in action”, warning that Moscow could then use biological or chemical weapons against Ukrainians.
The United Kingdom’s delegate, recalling that just yesterday the Council discussed the devastating humanitarian situation in Ukraine, said today it is hearing yet another “rehash of amateurish information that we discussed and debunked last Friday”. “It was nonsense then, and it is nonsense now,” she said, adding that the real threat to international peace and security is the ongoing Russian aggression. Describing today’s charade as “not worthy of a permanent member of the Security Council”, she urged Moscow to urgently end its invasion of Ukraine.
The representative of Gabon was among other Council members who expressed concern about the worsening crisis in Ukraine, as well as the grave tenor of today’s meeting, while noting that no new facts have been raised since the 11 March meeting on the same topic. All States parties must abide by the terms of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention, of which Gabon is also a member, he said, reiterating his country’s repeated calls for the parties to engage in negotiations in good faith in order to bring an end to the war, whose consequences are already being felt far beyond Ukraine.
China’s representative struck a different tone, emphasizing that any information on biological military activities should trigger “high concern” by the international community. Urging the relevant parties to take a responsible approach, he encouraged those mentioned in the Russian Federation’s new evidence to respond to questions raised and offer timely, comprehensive clarifications to assuage the international community’s doubts. “We do not consider it too much to ask,” he said, while cautioning against the use of any double standards.
Also speaking today were representatives of Albania, Ireland, France, Ghana, Brazil, Kenya, Norway, India, Mexico and the United Arab Emirates.
The meeting began at 10:06 a.m. and ended at 11:17 a.m.
For further details please see SOURCE below.
MEETINGS COVERAGE
