Suspending Russia’s membership in the Human Rights Council… and Lavrov accusing Kyiv of undermining negotiations
Moscow: Raed Jabr, New York: Ali Barada, Brussels: Asharq Al-Awsat
Russia and Western countries are preparing to expand the scope of battles in eastern Ukraine in the coming days and weeks, while Kyiv renewed its call for NATO to provide it with more weapons “before it is too late”.
The announcement by the separatists in the Donetsk region to expand the offensive in Mariupol yesterday, was accompanied by indications of military preparations to resolve the fighting in a number of regions in the east. “I have no doubt that Ukraine will get the weapons necessary for the fight,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said, after a meeting with NATO foreign ministers in Brussels. The question is when?”, calling with the same insistence to end purchases of oil and gas from Russia.
For his part, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stressed that “the allies are aware of the urgent need to provide more support to Ukraine.”
In turn, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Ukraine of undermining the negotiations between the two parties by “reversing” a set of “basic understandings”.
In a related context, the United Nations General Assembly yesterday suspended Russia’s membership in the Human Rights Council, in a decision that doubles Russia’s isolation on the world stage and in international organizations. And 93 countries out of the 193 members of the General Assembly voted on the draft resolution prepared by the United States and more than 50 other countries, while 24 countries opposed it, and 58 countries abstained. )
.
Source: aawsat