Russian President Vladimir Putin is up to his old tricks at the UN. In the midst of an oil war with the Saudis, on Friday the Russians tried to pass a UN coronavirus resolution hitting the U.S. It failed with America and our allies voting against it.
Fox News reports, “The Russian resolution was broadly a ‘declaration on solidarity of the United Nations in the face of the challenges posed by COVID-19.’” It called for a “science-based approach” and gave its backing to the World Health Organization (WHO).
“The resolution would have called on all countries to ‘refrain from raising trade barriers, imposing new export restrictions, or implementing protectionist and discriminatory measures inconsistent with the WTO [World Trade Organization] rules as well as not to apply any unilateral coercive measures undertaken without the mandate of the Security Council.”
The U.S., U.K., the European Union, Georgia and Ukraine all objected. It failed to pass. “Some countries are taking advantage of COVID to drive their own national agenda on sanctions, which is not befitting of the seriousness of the situation nor the importance of the joint approach on this terrible virus,” said a spokesperson for the U.K.
A vote that calls on “the United Nations system under the leadership of the United Nations Secretary-General to work with all relevant actors in order to mobilize a coordinated global response to the pandemic and its adverse social, economic and financial impact on all societies” passed instead.
The U.S. mission voted for the “inclusive, balanced and constructive text… The COVID-19 pandemic is a global challenge. Addressing it requires global action, international solidarity, and unity of purpose. We hope this resolution will rally the international community to take tangible steps to counter the virus and its spread,” said a U.S. spokesman.
The U.S. also addressed the Chinese role in the coronavirus. “All members of the Security Council must recognize the threat that China’s mishandling of the outbreak poses to international peace and security,” a State Department official said to Fox News. “The People’s Republic of China has been more interested in saving face than saving lives.” The Russians will try more hijinks. The U.S. UN delegation is on the watch for them.
This piece was written by PoliZette Staff on April 5, 2020. It originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.
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