Russian Security Council initiative an attempt to distract from ongoing Russian aggression in Ukraine: UK Statement in the Security Council
Statement delivered by Thomas Phipps at the United Nations Security Council meeting on the Nord Stream pipeline sabotage
Let me begin by thanking Under-Secretary-General DiCarlo for her briefing.
President, the UK condemns the acts of sabotage targeting the Nord Stream pipeline. However, it is not clear to us why, five months on, Russia is suddenly pursuing this issue here with such urgency.
We welcome the letter from Denmark, Sweden and Germany, informing UN member states that investigations are ongoing. The UK fully supports these technical investigations led by competent national authorities and awaits their findings.
The only recent development regarding Nord Stream of which we are aware is a new round of lurid accusations by Russian state-controlled media and public figures, and these are the same actors that originally chose to accuse the UK.
The basis for these new accusations is an article by an American journalist, that cites only a single secret source and it’s no surprise the Russian ambassador chose not dwell on the details as these details have been comprehensively debunked already by other journalists including on the basis of very straightforward, open-source fact-checking.
It is therefore our view that the real reason for Russia’s urgency today is a desperate desire to distract attention one year on from the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. From the massive casualties suffered by the Russian military, and from the devastation Russia’s war has wrought on the people of Ukraine, as well as its effects across the globe.
The UK takes the issue of attacks on critical infrastructure very seriously; it is why we have so frequently condemned in this Council, Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, on Ukraine’s schools and on Ukraine’s hospitals. However, we are not convinced that Russia’s initiative today, or its calls for establishment of a UN Commission of Inquiry, amount to anything more than a distraction from its continuing aggression in Ukraine.
Thank you, President.