The appointment of a Russian diplomat to head the UN’s mine action portfolio undermines trust in the organisation and confirms Russia’s destructive influence across the entire UN system.
This was stated by the spokesperson for Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Heorhii Tykhyi.
He stressed that, as a result of prolonged Russian aggression, Ukraine has become the most heavily mined country in the world. Despite this, the UN has appointed a serving Russian ambassador—who represented the Kremlin regime throughout the full-scale war—to lead the mine action portfolio.
Tykhyi noted that the decision to entrust such responsibility to a representative of the aggressor state is alarming. In his view, it remains unclear how the UN Secretariat reconciles these facts and what outcomes it expects.
“Assigning such responsibility to a representative of the aggressor state causes deep concern and undermines trust in the United Nations. This appointment confirms what has been known for many years: Russia’s unlawful occupation of the permanent seat on the UN Security Council that belonged to the Soviet Union is poisoning the entire UN system,” the Foreign Ministry spokesperson stressed.