February 28, 2015

March 3, 2014

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Last year, on March 3, 2014, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power countered statements by Russia during an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council.

Ambassador Power stated:

“Listening to the representative of Russia, one might think that Moscow had just become the rapid response arm of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. So many of the assertions made this afternoon by the Russian Federation are without basis in reality. …It is a fact that Russian military forces have taken over Ukrainian border posts, … the ferry terminal in Kerch… Russian ships are moving in and around Sevastopol… Russian forces are blocking mobile telephone services in some areas… Russia has surrounded or taken over practically all Ukrainian military facilities in Crimea… Russian jets entered Ukrainian airspace… and that independent journalists continue to report that there is no evidence of violence against Russian or pro-Russian communities.”

“Russian military action is not a human rights protection mission. It is a violation of international law and a violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the independent nation of Ukraine, and a breach of Russia’s Helsinki commitments and its U.N. obligations.”

Russia, she added, was not justified in its military intervention in Ukraine, seizing control of public facilities and issuing military ultimatums to elements of the Ukrainian military. “…Russian mobilization,” she continued, “is a response to an imaginary threat.”

Ambassador Power also stated that there was no evidence that the population of Crimea or other parts of eastern Ukraine was at risk because of Ukraine’s new government.  “…On the contrary,” she said, “the new Ukrainian government has placed a priority on internal reconciliation and political inclusivity. [Acting] President [Oleksander] Turchynov has made clear his opposition to any restriction on the use of the Russian tongue.”

“Tonight the OSCE [Organization for the Security and Cooperation in Europe] will begin deploying monitors to Ukraine. These monitors can provide the needed assessments of the situation on the ground. Their presence is urgently necessary in Crimea and in key cities in eastern Ukraine. The United States calls upon Russia to ensure that their access is not impeded.”

After Viktor Yanukovych fled to Russia, and the new democratically elected Ukrainian government took charge, Ambassador Power noted: “Russia has every right to wish that events in Ukraine had turned out differently, but it does not have the right to express that unhappiness by using military force or by trying to convince the world community that up is down and black is white.”

“…As I said in our last session, Russia’s actions speak much louder than its words. What is happening today is a dangerous military intervention in Ukraine. It is an act of aggression. It must stop. This is a choice for Russia. Diplomacy can serve Russia’s interests. The world is speaking out against the use of military threats and the use of force. Ukrainians must be allowed to determine their own destiny.”

Source: “U.S. ambassador to U.N. sets the record straight on Russia’s aggression,” The Ukrainian Weekly, March 9, 2014. www.BusinessInsider.com.

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