Ukrainian Ambassador angered by Ban Ki-moon's praise of Russia's role in Ukraine's peace process
Ukraine’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN), Volodymyr Yelchenko, has voiced his anger at statements made by the UN’s Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon.
Ki-moon has said that Russia should play a crucial role in ending the conflict in Donbas.
According to Yelchenko, he does not understand how the head of the UN can “make statements, which are actually praising Russia’s role in resolving the conflict, when Russia is actually a major player in aggression towards Ukraine and in continuing this conflict”.
Yelchenko stressed that Ban Ki-moon’s speech, which was prepared in advance for the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in Russia, showed that the UN leader “has lost any moral right to say anything about the conflict in Ukraine or Russia’s annexation of Crimea”.
He also said that Ukraine will be sending an official letter of protest to the UN General Assembly with a request to explain Ban Ki-moon’s statements and to correct them.
Yelchenko confirmed via Twitter that Ukraine has demanded explanations and has referred to Ban Ki-moon’s statements about Russia’s role in Ukraine as unacceptable.
Ban Ki-moon’s speech, which was distributed in the UN, says that Russia, as a permanent member of the Security Council with a right to veto, should “play a crucial role” in solving the “vital global issues. This includes ending conflicts in Ukraine and Syria, protecting human rights and control of the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction”.