Vasily Nebenzya, the Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations, challenged the UN’s capacity to broker mediation in the Ukraine conflict. The remarks, reported by TASS, were delivered during a Security Council session focused on marking the anniversary of the Minsk agreements. The session itself had been convened by Russia.
Nebenzya accused the UN Secretariat of echoing Western criticisms of Moscow and of acting in line with General Assembly resolutions that lack consensus. He argued that the very framework of those measures undermines neutral mediation and can skew the council’s ability to facilitate a balanced dialogue between Moscow and Kyiv.
In his address to the international community, the Russian diplomat posed a pointed question about the role of the UN as an intermediary. He pressed for assurances that the Secretariat would not repeat a pattern of bias or preconceptions when it comes to Russia and Ukraine, underscoring a skepticism about the organization’s present capacity to serve as an impartial go-between in this dispute.
Separately, Maria Zakharova, the former spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, contended that a formal record should be kept of what she described as a misrepresentation by the UN Security Council. She named French President François Hollande, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel as having publicly supported Minsk while allegedly signaling loyalty to its terms in a manner she deemed inconsistent with reality. Her comments appeared to be a critique of allied declarations and the transparency of diplomatic commitments in the Minsk process.