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STORY: UN / UKRAINE
TRT: 04:48
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / RUSSIAN / NATS
DATELINE: 31 JANUARY 2022, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE - NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior UN Headquarters
31 JANUARY 2022, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, Security Council
3. Med shot, Russian Federation Ambassador
4. Med shot, Ukraine Ambassador
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Rosemary Dicarlo, Under Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, United Nations:
“It is painfully obvious that any new escalation in or around Ukraine would mean more needless killing and destruction. Whatever one’s position regarding the current situation or the status quo in eastern Ukraine, this should be inconceivable. The fact that it is not should give us pause.”
6. Med shot, Belarus and Lithuania ambassadors
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, United States:
“The situation we’re facing in Europe is urgent and dangerous, and the stakes for Ukraine – and for every UN Member State – could not be higher.”
8. Med shot, Ukraine Ambassador
9. Med shot, Russian Federation Ambassador
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, United States:
“Russia’s aggression today not only threatens Ukraine. It also threatens Europe. It threatens the international order this body is charged with upholding. An order that, if it stands for anything, stands for the principle that one country cannot simply redraw another country’s borders by force, or make another country’s people live under a government they did not choose. We continue to hope Russia chooses the path of diplomacy over the path of conflict in Ukraine.”
11. Med shot, Russian Federation Ambassador
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, United States:
“If this is truly about Russia’s security concerns in Europe, we are offering them an opportunity to address these concerns at the negotiating table. The test of Russia’s good faith in the coming days and weeks is whether they will come to that table and stay at that table until we reach an understanding. If they refuse to do so, the world will know why – and who is responsible.”
13. Wide shot, Security Council dais
14. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Nebenzia Vassily, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Russian Federation:
“In explaining its proposal on convening this meeting, the delegation of the US has pointed out that it considers the deployment of Russian troops within Russian territory as a threat to international peace and security. This is not only unacceptable interference in the domestic affairs of our state, but also an attempt to mislead the international community on the situation in the region, and also the reason for the current global tensions.”
15. Med shot, Ukraine Ambassador
16. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Nebenzia Vassily, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Russian Federation:
“You are almost calling for this. You want it to happen. You're waiting for it to happen, as if you want to make your words become a reality. This is despite the fact that we are constantly rejecting these allegations. And this is despite the fact that no threat of invasion into Ukraine has been made from the lips of any Russian politician or public figure over all of this period. Rather, we've been categorically rejecting such claims.”
17. Med shot, US Ambassador
18. SOUNDBITE (English) Sergiy Kyslytsya, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ukraine:
“Ukraine is not going to launch military offensive, neither in Donbass, nor in Crimea, nor anywhere else. Ukraine sees no alternative to peaceful resolution of the ongoing conflict and restoration of sovereignty and territorial integrity. Yet we also see a surge in Russian disinformation campaign including false accusations of Ukraine plotting and military attack.”
19. Med shot, US Ambassador
20. SOUNDBITE (English) Sergiy Kyslytsya, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ukraine:
“Today we have heard from the Russian side that they do not intend to launch a war against my country. Although, one should rather speak about to launch a new phase of the Russian aggression. It is very important message as we still lack credible explanations by Russia of its actions and military movements. Based on experience we cannot believe Russian declarations but only practical moves on withdrawal of troops from the border.”
21. Various shots, end of session
Under Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary Dicarlo today (31 Jan) told the Security Council that it was “painfully obvious” that escalation of the Ukraine conflict “would mean more needless killing and destruction.”
Briefing the Council during a Council meeting called by the United States on the situation around the Russia-Ukraine border, Di Carlo said, “whatever one’s position regarding the current situation or the status quo in eastern Ukraine, this should be inconceivable. The fact that it is not should give us pause.”
United States Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said, “the situation we’re facing in Europe is urgent and dangerous, and the stakes for Ukraine – and for every UN Member State – could not be higher.”
Thomas-Greenfield told the Council that “Russia’s aggression today not only threatens Ukraine. It also threatens Europe. It threatens the international order this body is charged with upholding.”
That order, she said, “stands for anything, stands for the principle that one country cannot simply redraw another country’s borders by force, or make another country’s people live under a government they did not choose.”
The US Ambassador called for Russia to choose the “path of diplomacy” and said, “if this is truly about Russia’s security concerns in Europe, we are offering them an opportunity to address these concerns at the negotiating table. The test of Russia’s good faith in the coming days and weeks is whether they will come to that table and stay at that table until we reach an understanding.”
If they refuse to do so, she added, “the world will know why – and who is responsible.”
Russian Ambassador Nebenzia Vassily requested a procedural vote before proceeding with today’s meeting. He said, “in explaining its proposal on convening this meeting, the delegation of the US has pointed out that it considers the deployment of Russian troops within Russian territory as a threat to international peace and security. This is not only unacceptable interference in the domestic affairs of our state, but also an attempt to mislead the international community on the situation in the region, and also the reason for the current global tensions.”
Nebenzia said to Council members, “you are almost calling for this. You want it to happen. You're waiting for it to happen, as if you want to make your words become a reality. This is despite the fact that we are constantly rejecting these allegations. And this is despite the fact that no threat of invasion into Ukraine has been made from the lips of any Russian politician or public figure over all of this period. Rather, we've been categorically rejecting such claims.”
For his part, Ukrainian Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya said, “Ukraine is not going to launch military offensive, neither in Donbass, nor in Crimea, nor anywhere else. Ukraine sees no alternative to peaceful resolution of the ongoing conflict and restoration of sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Yet, he added, “we also see a surge in Russian disinformation campaign including false accusations of Ukraine plotting and military attack.”
Kyslytsya said, “today we have heard from the Russian side that they do not intend to launch a war against my country. Although, one should rather speak about to launch a new phase of the Russian aggression. It is very important message as we still lack credible explanations by Russia of its actions and military movements. Based on experience we cannot believe Russian declarations but only practical moves on withdrawal of troops from the border.”
According to DiCarlo’s statement, it is reported that over 100,000 troops and heavy weaponry from the
Russian Federation are positioned along border with Ukraine. Unspecified numbers of Russian troops and weaponry are also reportedly being deployed to Belarus ahead of large-scale joint military exercises in February on the
borders with Ukraine, Poland and the Baltic States.
NATO members are also reportedly planning additional deployments in Eastern European member states, and NATO has advised that 8,500 troops are now on high alert.
