By Michelle Nichols
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -The U.N. Security Council, including Russia, has agreed to express “deep concern regarding the maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine” in the body’s first statement since Russia invaded its neighbor ten weeks ago, diplomats said on Friday.
Statements of the Security Council are agreed by consensus. The brief text drafted by Norway and Mexico is due to be formally adopted at a meeting later on Friday, diplomats said.
“The Security Council expresses deep concern regarding the maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine,” it reads. “The Security Council recalls that all Member States have undertaken, under the Charter of the United Nations, the obligation to settle their international disputes by peaceful means.”
“The Security Council expresses strong support for the efforts of the Secretary-General in the search for a peaceful solution,” reads the statement, which also requests U.N. chief Antonio Guterres brief the council again “in due course.”
The statement was agreed despite a diplomatic tit-for-tat that has been escalating since Russia launched on Feb. 24 what it calls a “special military operation” and what Guterres blasted as Russia’s “absurd war.”
Russia vetoed a draft Security Council resolution on Feb. 25 that would have deplored Moscow’s invasion. China, the United Arab Emirates and India abstained from the vote. A council resolution needs nine votes in favor and no vetoes by the United States, Russia, China, France or Britain to pass.
The 193-member U.N. General Assembly, where no country has a veto, has since overwhelmingly adopted two resolutions, illustrating Russia’s international isolation over Ukraine. Such resolutions are nonbinding, but they carry political weight.
The General Assembly has deplored Russia’s “aggression against Ukraine,” demanding both that Russian troops stop fighting and withdraw and that there be aid access and civilian protection. It also criticized Russia for creating a “dire” humanitarian situation.
(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; editing by Diane Craft and Rosalba O’Brien)
