UNITED NATIONS (AP) 鈥 Whether it鈥檚 Gaza, Ukraine, Syria or a new world order, it鈥檚 been Russia versus the United States and the West during Moscow鈥檚 presidency of the Security Council this month, with the growing divide on vivid display.
The tension was hardly new.
Since Russia鈥檚 invasion of in February 2022 in violation of the U.N. Charter, which stresses the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all 193 members of the world organization, the West has been lashing out at Moscow.
But this month, with Russia in charge of the Security Council agenda, the animosity was more public, even down to how frosty the formalities were.
The U.S. deputy ambassador, Robert Wood, has refused to call the Russian foreign minister or any other Russian diplomat 鈥淢r. President,鈥 as is standard for any man presiding over the council 鈥 a further sign of the icy state of U.S.-Russian relations.
In return, Russian diplomats have added an edge to the customary response to speakers with whom Russia is at odds, especially Americans.
鈥淎s the president of the Security Council, I am compelled to thank the United States for his statement,鈥 a clearly angry Dmitry Polyansky, Russia's deputy ambassador, said in response to critical remarks from Wood about Russia at a meeting Monday on
The teeth-clenching has reinforced the sense of a Security Council that鈥檚 often been at cross-purposes in recent years, but is able to be somewhat diplomatic and adopt resolutions on some world hot spots.
鈥淚t has been a month of petty diplomatic point-scoring rather than any really major meltdowns,鈥 said Richard Gowan, U.N. director of the International Crisis Group, a think tank.
The verbal clashes between Russian and Western diplomats have been a feature of almost every council meeting.
When Russia used its signature meeting, chaired by to push for a more democratic world order with many centers of power, outraged Western ambassadors pushed back, saying Moscow had no standing to raise the issue after invading Ukraine and flouting international law.
Lavrov started the meeting by criticizing the United States for declaring 鈥渋ts own exceptionalism.鈥 He went on to cite George Orwell鈥檚 famed novel 鈥淎nimal Farm,鈥 saying, 鈥淎ll animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.鈥 Lavrov then denounced NATO鈥檚 expansion in Europe.
U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield countered by accusing Russia of 鈥渨illfully and flagrantly violating the core tenets of the United Nations Charter: territorial integrity, respect for human rights, international cooperation.鈥
Britain鈥檚 Ambassador Barbara Woodward was equally tough: 鈥淲hile you tell us how you believe the world order can become more just, democratic and sustainable, your military is systematically bombing civilians in Ukraine in an unprovoked war of aggression, and in flagrant violation of the U.N. Charter.鈥
France鈥檚 top U.N. diplomat, Nicolas de Riviere, compared Russia to 鈥渁 pyromaniac firefighter.鈥
鈥淚t calls for a more just world order but is multiplying its violations of the Charter and jeopardizing our collective security,鈥 de Riviere said.
When Russia called a meeting Thursday to denounce Western weapons supplies to Ukraine, Western diplomats accused Russia of getting arms from North Korea and Iran in violation of U.N. sanctions, and accused China of supplying material to prop up Russia鈥檚 defense industrial base 鈥 which Beijing鈥檚 envoy denied.
At the council meeting on Syria, Russia accused the United States and its allies of attempting to destabilize the country with their 鈥渋llegal presence." Wood accused Russia and its close ally Syria of obstructing efforts to end the country鈥檚 13-year civil war.
Early in the month, Russia鈥檚 ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, invited his 14 Security Council counterparts to a retreat at his country鈥檚 Long Island estate. One of the topics was the qualifications of the people Moscow had invited to brief members at the numerous meetings it has called on Ukraine, according to a council diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity because the meeting was private.
Russia鈥檚 briefers on Ukraine have included peace activists, political commentators and freelance journalists. At a recent Russian-organized news conference, one speaker was the international secretary of the Communist Party who had visited Russian-occupied areas of eastern Ukraine.
At Thursday鈥檚 Ukraine meeting, Russia had former Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissel brief the council, which Western diplomats saw as a noted improvement, though they strongly disagreed with her view that supplying Western weapons to Ukraine will spur an uncontrolled arms market in Eastern and Central Europe, increasing crime and terrorism.
In perhaps Russia's most difficult moment, Nebenzia chaired an emergency meeting of the council called by France and Ecuador on July 9 after a missile strike destroyed part of . The U.S. and many others blamed Russia, which denied responsibility.
Nebenzia told The Associated Press on Thursday he thinks Russia鈥檚 presidency has been 鈥渟mooth鈥 and 鈥渕ade some news.鈥
Wood, the U.S. envoy, disagreed.
鈥淩ussia wants to give the impression through its Security Council presidency that everything is business as usual. It is not,鈥 he told AP on Friday. 鈥淎s long as Russia continues its war of aggression against Ukraine, in clear violation of the U.N. Charter, any effort to portray itself as a responsible permanent member of the council will be viewed with the utmost of skepticism.鈥
The Crisis Group鈥檚 Gowan said the Russians "are specialists at both delivering incendiary speeches and pulling diplomatic stunts in the Security Council, and have delivered both this month.鈥
He pointed to Lavrov鈥檚 often repeated denunciations of U.S. global dominance and Russia's 鈥渟tunt鈥 of inviting Austria鈥檚 Kneissel to brief, which 鈥渉as caused some mischief.鈥
Gowan said Russia likes to signal that it will not let its 鈥渟truggles鈥 with the U.S. and its European allies disrupt council business.
鈥淭hat normally, in itself, frustrates Western diplomats 鈥 they feel Russia is avoiding any real penalty for its behavior in Ukraine,鈥 he said.
When asked about clashes with the U.S. and its allies, Nebenzia replied; 鈥淭hat happens, presidency or no presidency.鈥
