Russia's permanent representative to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzya, stated that the United States is the only country in the world, aside from Israel, that opposes calls from the international community for a ceasefire in Gaza. Nebenzya made this statement during a UN Security Council meeting on Friday, saying, "Unfortunately, our many attempts with our supporters to adopt a resolution in the Security Council calling for a comprehensive ceasefire, even for humanitarian purposes, are met with strong opposition from the United States," as reported by Russian media.
He continued that "this approach taken by Washington is based on its biased and selfish position aimed at monopolizing the settlement process in the Middle East and providing cover for all of its ally's actions in the region, namely Israel."
He added that "the United States is essentially the only country in the world, aside from Israel, that stands against the global consensus that there is no alternative to stopping military operations in Gaza." He reminded that the Security Council has only managed to adopt two weak resolutions since the escalation in Gaza began, which do not call for a ceasefire from both parties due to the US position.
He said, "As a result, due to the United States alone, the Security Council, the main UN body for maintaining international peace and security, has been unable to fulfill its direct responsibilities for three months."
He noted that "this unacceptable situation reveals the double standards of our American colleagues regarding the crises in Gaza and other regions of the world." Nebenzya emphasized the importance of working towards restoring the prospects for a political settlement in the Middle East based on international law and known resolutions that stipulate the establishment of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, coexisting peacefully and securely with Israel.
