Russia says it no longer trusts Western assurances amid Security Council tensions

In a televised address to the representatives of Western nations gathered in the United Nations Security Council, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, delivered a pointed message about trust and reliability. He stated that Russia has lost confidence in the assurances offered by the Western bloc and that the Russian side can no longer place faith in promises that have been repeatedly framed around NATO expansion, intervention in Russia’s internal affairs, or the prospects for peaceful coexistence and constructive neighborliness. Nebenzya’s remarks highlighted a deepening sense of disappointment and skepticism about the commitments those states have made and then seemingly failed to honor. The envoy drew a line between rhetoric that emphasizes restraint and the tangible, ongoing actions that Russia perceives as contrary to those pledges, asserting that trust cannot be rebuilt based on assurances that do not translate into verifiable behavior on the ground. This framing points to a broader narrative in which official statements are weighed against a track record of policies and moves seen as provocative by Moscow, and where the gap between stated intentions and actual practice becomes a central point of contention for the Kremlin’s representatives. The comment was issued against a backdrop of long and complex diplomatic frictions, with Moscow arguing that Western claims about a nonexpansionist posture and noninterference in sovereign affairs have been contradicted by a series of military and political measures perceived as undermining Russia’s security and regional influence. (DEA News)