During the United Nations General Assembly, the United States and Russia are talking hard!
[Global Times correspondent in Russia Sui Xin, Wang Yi, Liu Yupeng] A few hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a partial military mobilization on the 21st, US President Biden delivered a speech for nearly 30 minutes at the general debate of the United Nations General Assembly, accusing Russia of The "invasion" of Ukraine violates the "core principles" of the United Nations.
"Biden seeks to shape the United States and its allies as guardians of the fragile post-World War II global order, while reaffirming U.S. leadership on key issues such as climate change and food insecurity," the New York Times said.
The U.S. and its allies appeared to have another chance to isolate Russia as leaders gathered in New York, speaking out against Russia in a series of speeches.
"The biggest question is whether these condemnations are meaningful and whether some countries that are reluctant to choose their positions will turn their words into actions." The Times of India said on the 22nd.
When Russia announced some military mobilization decisions, the West launched a new round of offensive against Russia in shock: officials exaggerated Russia's "escalation of the crisis", but downplayed their arrogance such as providing weapons to Ukraine. The G7 and the EU have The introduction of new sanctions was on the agenda; the media cooperated to create a dangerous image of Russia "upping the stakes on war".
On the 22nd, the Russian newspaper Izvestia quoted Topolnin, an associate professor at the Moscow Institute of International Relations, as a reminder that the Western response to Russia's partial military mobilization will destroy the bridge leading to some kind of diplomatic solution to the Ukraine crisis.
"The West is trying to politicize the work of the General Assembly"
"Let's be frank," Biden said at the beginning of his speech at the UN General Assembly on the 21st, accusing Russia of violating the "core principles" of the UN, saying that "a permanent member of the UN Security Council has invaded its neighbor in an attempt to remove this sovereign country from erased from the map".
He claimed that if any country could pursue its imperialist ambitions without consequences, the post-World War II international order would collapse and "we will stand united against Russian aggression".
The Associated Press commented on the 21st that Biden's speech is part of an effort to isolate Russia on the global stage in the context of rising concerns about the energy crisis and the US Congress' growing skepticism about increasing military spending.
"The New York Times" said that the breadth and severity of Biden's attack on Putin was surprising. His rhetoric was the most direct and sustained criticism of a single competitor by a U.S. president at a United Nations meeting since 2002. Russia has described it as a major threat to global peace and said Putin's remarks a few hours ago contained an "irresponsible nuclear threat".
According to the Russian Satellite News Agency, Biden claimed in his speech on the 21st that the Russian president suspected of publicly threatening the use of nuclear weapons, a move that shows Moscow’s disregard for the nuclear non-proliferation mechanism.
In response, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zakharova said in a live broadcast on the 22nd that Biden falsely quoted the words of the Russian president and made his own speech, which was "completely indecent."
On the afternoon of the 21st local time, the United Nations General Assembly played a pre-recorded video speech of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
According to Russia's TASS news agency, Zelensky listed five prerequisites for achieving peace in Ukraine. The first is to "punish" Russia, including imposing sanctions and depriving Russia of its veto power in the UN Security Council.
Other conditions include: providing Ukraine with military, financial and other support to "protect lives"; restoring Ukraine's territorial integrity; providing security for Ukraine; and countries committing to continue to help Ukraine.
For Zelensky's speech, Western mainstream media carried out extensive coverage on the 22nd.
It is worth noting, however, that Serbian President Vucic, who followed his speech, was clearly "differentially treated", the latter said, "We hear stories from many speakers about the violation of Ukraine's territorial integrity", but about Serbia The territorial integrity of the country has long been violated, but no discussion is made.
The English-language media almost turned a blind eye to Vucic’s remarks. The Associated Press reported a sentence he said, but did not mention the content of his accusations of double standards in some countries.
"The West is trying to politicize the work of the UN General Assembly and blur its responsibilities." The Russian Satellite News Agency reported on the 22nd that after the meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov and the 77th UN General Assembly President Kleich, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a message. Said that the West is trying to turn the General Assembly into a tool of political pressure.
EU to launch a new round of sanctions?
Some Western leaders are still showing a tough stance toward Russia, even fanning the flames.
On the 21st local time, British Prime Minister Truss said in a speech at the general debate of the UN General Assembly, "At the moment when I speak, new British weapons are being shipped to Ukraine", "We will not stop until Ukraine wins."
French President Macron told French BFM TV on his way back from New York that Ukraine's allies must firmly oppose Russia's "blackmail" in the face of Moscow's suggestion that it may use nuclear weapons against Kyiv. That is, help Ukraine as we are doing now."
The G7 and the European Union plan to threaten Russia with new sanctions.
According to Agence France-Presse, in a statement issued on the evening of the 21st, the foreign ministers of the G7 countries "condemned Russia's deliberate escalation of the situation" and said that it would "further implement targeted sanctions" to maintain "Russia's economic and political pressure".
On the same day, Borrell, the EU's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, said at a news conference that he was convening an informal special meeting of EU foreign ministers in New York to coordinate a response to the "unacceptable threat" issued by Russia. .
A source disclosed to the Russian Satellite News Agency that the European Commission may propose a new round of sanctions against Russia on the 28th of this month, including expanding the sanctions list and introducing some measures related to restrictions on Russian oil prices.
EU officials are also likely to discuss the removal of member states' veto rights when implementing Russia-related sanctions.
China continues to voice its voice to encourage peace and talks.
On the 21st local time, when meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during the UN General Assembly meeting, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on the Ukraine issue that China will continue to uphold an objective and fair stance, persuade peace and promote talks, and hope that all parties will not give up dialogue efforts. Persist in addressing security concerns through peace talks.
According to Russia's "Viewpoint" report on the 22nd, Hungarian Foreign Minister Sjjardo said, "We ask world powers to negotiate, reach an agreement, and finally reach a ceasefire agreement to bring peace to our neighbors (referring to Ukraine)."
Kortunov, director of the Russian Council of International Affairs, said that NATO countries currently have two reactions to Russia's announcement of local military mobilization: they hope to retaliate and punish Russia to the greatest extent possible; they hope to end the conflict with some kind of political compromise as soon as possible.
Many countries oscillate between these diametrically opposed positions.
He believes that while NATO countries do not want Russia to win, they also understand that Russia is unlikely to lose.
'If they call me, I'll go to service'
Similar to the statements of some Western leaders, from 21st to 22nd, most of Russia's image in Western media was "dangerous" and unpopular.
"Putin escalates the Ukrainian war and issues a nuclear threat to the West," Reuters reported on this subject.
The New York Times had a similar headline, saying, "Putin ups the stakes on war, directly challenging the West."
The article believes that Putin's speech indicates that its broader goal is to shock the United States and its European allies, drop support for Ukraine, or force Zelensky and Moscow to reach a peace agreement acceptable to the latter.
According to the US "Washington Post" and other media reports on the 22nd, the previous day, more than 1,300 people were arrested in protests against partial military mobilization in Russia.
Russia Today TV reported that organizers of the rallies included OVD-info, a group listed as a “foreign agent” by the Russian Ministry of Justice in 2021.
The Russian "Kommersant" said that, in fact, many Russians support part of the military mobilization.
A survey conducted in Moscow shows that many people believe that some military mobilization will have a positive impact on Russia's special military operations process.
"If they called me, I would go to the military and would not shirk responsibility," said one interviewee.
According to "Russia Today" TV, in an interview published by Newsweek on the 21st, Lavrov said that the United States and its allies are openly seeking to defeat Russia on the battlefield and are prepared to sacrifice Ukraine to achieve their geopolitical goals.
Responding to a question about a possible confrontation between the world's nuclear-weapon powers, Lavrov said the United States had come very dangerously close to being openly involved in the Ukraine conflict.
He said that the goal of the Russian military operation is to protect the people of Donbas, eliminate threats to Russia's security, and achieve "demilitarization" and "denazification" in Ukraine. "No matter how long it takes, all these goals will be achieved.”
According to Russian media reports, Medvedev, Vice Chairman of the Russian Federation Security Council, posted on social platforms on the 22nd, listing some possible outcomes of Putin’s announcement the day before Russia’s decision. Any weapon, including strategic nuclear weapons and new types of weapons, can be used in defense.