Russia’s silence “sounds loud”
Scholz sharply attacks Putin in front of the Security Council
September 20, 2023, 9:59 p.m
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As the last speaker at the UN Security Council meeting, Chancellor Scholz sent a clear message towards Russian President Putin. He calls for a quick peace solution, but not at any price.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz sharply attacked Russian President Vladimir Putin in his first speech to the UN Security Council. “The reason the suffering continues in Ukraine and around the world is shockingly simple: Russia’s president wants to implement his imperialist plan to conquer its sovereign neighbor, Ukraine,” Scholz told the most powerful UN body in New York York.
He called on Putin to comply with the UN General Assembly’s request to withdraw his troops and thus end the war. “To date it has not been answered. Nothing rings louder today than Russia’s silence in response to this global appeal for peace,” said Scholz.
The UN General Assembly passed a resolution in February – a year after the Russian invasion of Ukraine – calling for the withdrawal of troops. 141 of the 193 member states voted in favor and only six, along with Russia, voted against. There were 32 abstentions, including from China and India. Since then there has been no new resolution.
Zelensky and Lavrov are no longer there
Scholz was the last speaker in the three-hour Security Council meeting. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov were no longer present at the time. The Chancellor also accused Russia of deliberately depriving the global market of millions of tons of grain and fertilizer needed by countries around the world. “Russia is deliberately targeting grain silos and port infrastructure. And Russia has unilaterally canceled the Black Sea Grain Initiative, deepening poverty and food insecurity around the world.”
As on Tuesday evening before the general assembly, Scholz supported peace efforts, but also warned against a sham solution to the conflict. “Peace without freedom is oppression. Peace without justice is a dictate,” he said. “The more resolutely we are committed to a just peace and the more united we are in our rejection of Russian aggression, the sooner this war will end.”