'Disregard Has Reached Its Peak': Putin Envoy Blasts EU, NATO's Hypocrisy, Warns UN Boss To His Face

Added: 2026-05-28

[00:00:00]The United Nations Charter is a survival guide for humanity.

[00:00:05]A promise born from the devastation of two world wars.

[00:00:09]A commitment that the force of law must prevail over the law of force.

[00:00:15]That international disputes must be settled by peaceful means. And that all states, large and small, must act in conformity with the principles of justice and international law.

[00:00:29]For decades, the values and principles of the UN Charter have helped deliver.

[00:00:36]Placing guardrails on a nuclear arms race, negotiating an end to devastating wars, advancing human rights, supporting decolonization, and fostering development across the globe.

[00:00:51]And above all, preventing a third world war.

[00:00:56]But today, the purposes and principles of the Charter are under profound strain.

[00:01:03]Let me briefly point to seven here and now threats.

[00:01:08]First, we are witnessing a dangerous erosion of respect for international law. Second, geopolitical divisions are deepening. Mistrust is growing.

[00:01:18]Consensus is harder to achieve.

[00:01:21]And too often, this Council fails to act with unity and purpose.

[00:01:27]When the Security Council is divided, the consequences are felt far beyond the Charter and relate to my next point.

[00:01:36]Third, conflicts are proliferating and intensifying.

[00:01:41]We now face the highest number of conflicts since the founding of the United Nations.

[00:01:47]And I must add that I'm deeply concerned by a recent announcement by the Russian Federation to launch consistent and systemic strikes against Ukrainian defense enterprises in Kyiv, as well as against decision-making centers and command command posts following reports of an Ukrainian drone attack on a college building and dormitory in the Ukrainian city of Starobilsk, presently occupied by the Russian Federation.

[00:02:18]On Friday, we condemned the attack on the school.

[00:02:21]As we condemn all attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure wherever they occur.

[00:02:27]But now more than ever, it is imperative to avoid any escalation of a conflict that has already exacted a devastating toll on civilians, and that risks making the search for peace even more distant, prolonging the suffering of people.

[00:02:44]This takes place as Israel has announced an escalation of its operations in Lebanon, witness constant violations of the ceasefire in Gaza, and the result of negotiations between the United States and Iran to end the conflict in the Gulf remain unpredictable.

[00:03:01]Global institutions must reflect today's realities, not those of 1945.

[00:03:07]Nowhere is this more urgent than in this council. A Security Council that does not reflect the geopolitical realities of today's world cannot fully deliver on its responsibilities.

[00:03:19]For example, the absence of permanent representation for Africa is an historic injustice.

[00:03:26]It undermines the credibility of the council and diminishes its effectiveness.

[00:03:32]Reform is about restoring credibility and better ensuring that this council can act decisively and inclusively to uphold the charter. The charter is clear.

[00:03:43]Member states shall refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state or in any other manner inconsistent with the purposes of the United Nations.

[00:03:56]They shall act in accordance with international law.

[00:03:59]And they shall settle international disputes peacefully, so international peace and security and justice are not endangered, avoiding the imposition of unilateral measures that could lead to escalation.

[00:04:13]Excellency, the charter remains humanity's best hope for peace, yet its strength relies on the commitment of those tasked with upholding it. I wish to stress once again the central role of the Security Council in this regard. The whole world is watching us. It demands action, not just words.

[00:04:36]Major countries must take special responsibility, lead by example in upholding the rule of law and acting righteously, and must not engage in double standards, exceptionalism, or selective application.

[00:04:51]Second, we must restore the authority of the Security Council and show greater resolve to act.

[00:04:58]The Security Council is the core of the international collective security mechanism, and the most authoritative and legitimate body in the multilateral security system.

[00:05:07]The more turbulent the world, the more the Security Council must show leadership and effectively manage conflicts and their spillover effects.

[00:05:15]Membership in the Security Council is not a privilege, but a responsibility.

[00:05:21]We must transcend national self-interest and use international instruments responsibly.

[00:05:27]The Security Council should further optimize and improve its rules of procedure to ensure the objectivity, impartiality, and inclusivity of its proposals.

[00:05:36]China supports the United Nations in strengthening dialogue with the BRICS, the Group of 20, the New Development Bank, and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank to build an inclusive and balanced global economic and financial governance system.

[00:05:53]At the invitation of Minister of Justice Wang Yi, the Russian delegation was to be represented at this meeting by Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alimov, who oversees United Nations issues.

[00:06:08]However, despite all our attempts to get the American side to issue him a visa, it was never issued to him.

[00:06:17]We view this not only as a violation by Washington of its obligations and the United Nations headquarters agreement, according to which access to the world organization's headquarters must be provided to all officials of member states without exception, but also as a blatant disrespect for China's presidency of the Security Council and for the topic of the United Nations Charter we are discussing today.

[00:06:42]Today, we have approached a global catastrophe closer than ever, observing how the United Nations Charter is not only being violated everywhere, but its value and mandatory compliance are being called into question.

[00:07:03]Instead, a group of countries, mostly Western, is offering us a certain order based on rules they invent themselves and then they pass these so-called rules off as universal.

[00:07:22]Today, the disregard for the United Nations Charter, this cornerstone document, has reached its peak.

[00:07:30]In their quest to maintain global dominance, Western elites have lost all restraint in using brute force to advance their political and economic interests.

[00:07:42]They continue to hunt for resources and influence in their former colonies, primarily in Africa, and are waging open warfare against sovereign nations that do not suit them.

[00:07:55]And are expanding NATO-centric alliances into new areas in Asia, which directly threaten to undermine collective security there.

[00:08:07]Using controlled organizations and media, they divert the international community's attention from the real root causes of conflicts, creating double standards that confuse those who strive to responsibly uphold the United Nations Charter.

[00:08:25]In these conditions, we must especially cherish the Charter, its goals and principles in their entirety and interconnection, its mechanisms of checks and balances, which are recognized and intended to protect the interests of not only the majority, but also the minority.

[00:08:42]However, shortsighted politicians in Europe in Europe decided to be more cunning.

[00:08:47]They decided that cooperation is not their method, that it is better to use blackmail and pressure, that they must again seize lands in the East, this time under the guise of North Atlantic Treaty Organization and European Union expansion.

[00:09:01]These imperial projects are moving East without asking the peoples of the countries they are seizing.

[00:09:07]They rely on bribing elites and color revolutions.

[00:09:12]But today, the European elite has decided to drop the masks and bet on blatant armed force.

[00:09:19]They are actively getting involved in the crisis in Ukraine, including through unprecedented arms supplies.

[00:09:26]As we have already reported at one of these Security Council meetings, Germany does not shy away from fueling the conflict in Gaza with weapons, including new technologies.

[00:09:37]Our eyes are turned with anxiety toward the Middle East and the bellicose rhetoric regarding Cuba.

[00:09:44]We are convinced that this path leads nowhere.

[00:09:48]We must help each other avoid a global crisis and restore the United Nations role as an honest broker.

[00:09:54]However, to begin with, as in the past, we need to reaffirm the consensus on the basic parameters of international cooperation.

[00:10:04]We are convinced that the initiative put forward in June 2024 by Russian President Putin serves this goal, aiming to form a new architecture of equal and indivisible security in Eurasia, which is as open as possible to all states and subregional organizations on the continent.

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