Russia thwarts Security Council resolution

Fighting in Ukraine is a constant. In the early hours of this morning, Ukraine was once again the scene of new Russian attacks. In the capital, Kiev, air raid sirens have plunged the city into another day of fear and uncertainty. Meanwhile, Russian troops continue to try to advance into the heart of the capital, a Kiev that is increasingly battered and is currently the scene of new shootings in the streets.

Due to the gravity of the situation, the UN Security Council has met for the third time in just five days with the aim of seeking a resolution to put an end to the Russian invasion. A text proposed by the United States and Albania was put to the vote at around midnight, while on the other side of the Atlantic the first shelling of the early hours of the morning was beginning to be heard in the Ukrainian capital. 

As expected, the Russian Federation, a permanent member of the Security Council, voted against the resolution, scuttling the resolution with its negative vote. What the rest of the Council was eagerly awaiting was the position of China, another permanent member that finally abstained. Along with China, India and the United Arab Emirates followed China's line by abstaining, showing an equidistance that served as veiled support for Moscow.

The final result of the vote was that 11 of the 15 members voted in favour, a result that remains a dead letter, given that one vote against is enough to prevent the proposal from being carried out. The draft text referred to article 2 of the UN Charter, which calls for the resolution of disputes through peaceful means, as well as refraining from the use of force to damage the territorial integrity of a country or to affect its independence, something that will continue to happen for the time being.

The draft also argued that the Russian invasion had violated the Helsinki Final Act of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) as well as the Council resolution (2202 of 2015) aimed at implementing the Minsk agreements, which in theory put an end to the war in Donbas.

Alongside this, the text urged Russia to cease attacks and reverse its decision to declare the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics as independent territories. 

However, Russian President Vladimir Putin is forging ahead with his plan. Faced with the new packages approved by the United States and the European Union, Russia is not intimidated. In recent years Putin has known how to deal with this possible scenario and has therefore taken special care to accumulate foreign currency reserves that now serve as a tool to manage this situation. On the other hand, Moscow has the backing of Beijing, a strategic prop for Putin that allows him to press ahead with his offensive.

Although China is not interested in a war scenario and has shown that it is distancing itself from any conflict scenario, it will not leave Russia alone, at least in terms of economic support. The bear and the dragon are strengthening their positions vis-à-vis a common "enemy": the West. Moreover, this situation serves as an example for China to observe how both the United States and the European Union respond to such a critical situation. 

And for the moment the West has already responded in this area: adoption of sanctions packages that will undoubtedly affect the Russian economy but do not serve to halt Russia's advance, and messages of solidarity with symbolic demonstrations. For Ukraine this is not enough. Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky has not given up on Kiev, as he demonstrated in a video showing a crestfallen but convinced leader. He declared that "our soldiers are here. The citizens are here and we are here. We are defending our independence. That is what we are going to do (...) "Glory to our defenders, men and women! Glory to Ukraine!".

He also claimed that the international community had abandoned Ukraine after it failed to receive military aid to help stop Russia's offensive. The sensitivity of the situation obliges international leaders to act with great caution. Ukraine does not belong to NATO and this serves as a backstop for political leaders not to intervene militarily. It is not a no to war, it is a no to destruction, but a no to devastation for Ukraine. It should be noted that this would pit the two major nuclear powers, the United States and Russia, against each other, which would be a conflict of unimaginable dimensions. 

Putin's "honour of empire" and Russian nationalism crosses every boundary we could hope for. Diplomacy wears thin with every passing hour as the Russian bear paws at a 'deeply concerned' that remains just that, a deep regret. Meanwhile Russia reaches out to the Ukrainian army. They urge them to use force and move away from Zelensky's "neo-Nazism". By contrast, NATO and the US in particular now argue that "this is not their war", a statement that comes as a surprise after the US had days earlier shown its strong support for Ukraine by stating that "the United States will respond decisively".

What is certain is the dramatic situation in Ukraine. People are fleeing their homes or taking refuge in bunkers or in the metro stations themselves. Russian troops have not only targeted military bases, but have crossed the border and directly attacked residential buildings. There have already been 198 civilian casualties, including three children, since Russia began its invasion. The violence is being directed against a lonely Ukraine, which is trying to resist against troops that are still proving to be invulnerable for the time being.