Ukraine and Russia came to a surprising agreement in the United Nations Security Council, as the delegates of the two nations were co-authors of a draft resolution. The adoption of such a resolution could bring an end to the 8-month long war between the two nations, which began when Russia sent troops into Ukraine in a “special military operation”.
The alliance was reached after several committee sessions in which the Russian and Western blocs traded blows over human rights, responsibility for the war, and other issues such as the European energy crisis. The defection of Ukraine from the Western to Russian blocs piqued confusion amongst onlookers; when questioned about the reason for the switching of sides, the delegate of Ukraine simply said that the war and bloodshed needed to end as quickly as possible.
The draft resolution proposed by the two nations (dubbed “DR Mir”) involves the withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukraine, and referendums in the regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, and Crimea over whether they wish to remain part of Ukraine. It is a shift in foreign policy for Ukraine, who’s president had previously claimed that the war in his country could only end with the liberation of Crimea.
The main opposition to the Mir resolution comes in the form of the USA, the UK, and Turkey (the latter of whom had accused the Belarusian delegate of “auctioning countries” when he suggested referendums in the Donbas). When questioned about Turkey’s trade deals with Russia (including recent negotiations between the two nations to pump Russian natural gas through Turkey and into Europe), the delegate of Turkey stated that his nation’s opposition to Russia was only with regards to their military operations and not their trade. This prompted a press reporter to accuse Turkey of profiteering from war.
When the UK was questioned about how its economy could recover without trade with Russia, following the sacking of its fourth financial minister in as many months, the delegate of the UK restated her unconditional faith in the USA’s ability to help it. The delegate of Finland also sided with the USA and NATO, stating that joining NATO would make Finland less vulnerable to a Russian threat than it currently is. In a press conference, the delegate of the USA reaffirmed American support for its allies.
One of the most shocking moments of the conference occurred when the delegate of North Korea openly called into question the neutrality of the UN. The delegate, who had previously accused his compatriots of making “false” and “manufactured” claims from Western media, made the allegation during a press conference. After answering a question about human rights by defending his nation’s humanitarian record, he was asked if the neutrality of the UN Human Rights Council had been compromised, to which he replied “Yes […] I do”.
Although there is potential for more interesting developments, the committee session drew to a close with no resolution.
