Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's speech at a meeting of the UN Security Council on the Middle East was interrupted by two activists who stood up from their seats and shouted "The people of Israel are alive!” and "Free hostages!”
Lavrov stopped his speech and addressed the activists: "I don't understand, say it more clearly.”
Security escorted the women out of the auditorium. Most likely, the women used guest passes to get inside.
Russia chaired the UN Security Council on July 1 and will preside until the end of the month.
Israel's permanent representative to the UN, Gilad Erdan, spoke before Lavrov. The activists listened to his statement in silence, TASS notes.
Lavrov flew to New York for the UN Security Council meeting on July 16. The same day, a ministerial debate took place on the topic "Multilateral cooperation in the interests of creating a more just, democratic and sustainable world order.”
During the meeting of the UN Security Council, Sergei Lavrov asked US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield if she was in the right room.
"By the way, I wanted to ask the distinguished representative of the United States. Listening to the representative of Israel today, did you have the feeling that you were in the wrong room and came to the wrong discussion that was announced? I hope you understand what I'm talking about,” the Russian minister said.
Here is more in brief from what Lavrov said:
- The West wants to push through Zelensky’s ultimatum at any cost, but the second conference on Ukraine contains approaches that are unacceptable for Russia, Lavrov said.
- In the event of an agreement with the West on European security, including on Ukraine, the Russian Federation will carefully monitor all wordings and guarantees.
- Russia and China will continue their efforts to create a Eurasian security system. The doors for Western countries are also open too.
- The Russian Federation and the United States conduct telephone contacts at various levels, but there is nothing significant there, Lavrov said.
- Israel wants to involve the United States in an escalation with Iran, but Moscow urges everyone to forget such ideas.
- When Trump was President, the Russian Federation and the United States had a dialogue despite sanctions.
- “Under Trump, there were more sanctions, both economic and diplomatic ones. But at that time there was a dialogue between us and Washington at the highest levels. Now there is no such dialogue,” Lavrov noted.
- The decision on Ukraine must take into account the reality; Russia cannot abandon the population that is oppressed for everything Russian, Lavrov said.
- The Russian Federation and the United States conducted unpublicized contacts between political scientists to discuss options for a settlement in Ukraine, Lavrov said.
- The United States must abandon its ambition to decide everything for everyone under the new world order, Lavrov said.