UNITED NATIONS, November 13. /TASS/. Assertions about the dispatching of Russian troops to Ukraine are nothing more than a propaganda concoction, Alexander Pankin, Russia's First Deputy Ambassador to the UN said on Wednesday at a session of the UN Security Council.
“No one presents real facts or evidence of this. That is why it is nothing but talk. This is a usual propaganda concoction,” Pankin told a session of the UN Security Council, adding that Kiev spread rumours about Russia allegedly sending troops and weapons to Ukraine “to excuse its failures and mass dispatches of people and equipment to the front”.
Also he said that the lack of response by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Special Monitoring Mission to the actions of the Ukrainian armed forces “adds fuel to the flames” of the conflict.
“Unfortunately we have to recognise that an almost total lack of response by the OSCE mission to the Ukrainian armed forces and other military formations moving and consolidating their position adds fuel to the flames,” Pankin told a session of the UN Security Council, noting reports that heavy artillery and tanks were observed near the town of Karlovka in the Donetsk region on November 9. On November 8, the Ukrainian military was reported to relocate to the Lugansk region its Grad and Uragan multiple launch rocket systems alongside Scud tactical missiles.
“Why do they say nothing about these facts? It should be clear to everyone that the lack of information on that point in OSCE reports creates a false and provocative picture of all that is happening,” the diplomat added.
Russia also wants the United Nations Security Council to remain compact. It also considers any ideas infringing on the right of veto by the Council’s permanent members to be unacceptable.
“Any ideas leading to infringement on the prerogatives of the current permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, including the institute of veto, are unacceptable for us. It should be remembered that this institute is a vital factor that stimulates the Council members to search for balanced decisions. Any encroachment on this right would be wrong both from historical and political points of view,” Pankin told the U.N. General Assembly meeting devoted to the Security Council reform.
The Russian diplomat noted that Moscow was ready to consider any reasonable options for expanding the Security Council line-up, including a compromise solution that should be based on broad U.N. consent.
At the same time, Pankin noted, the U.N. Security Council should preserve its ability to react promptly and efficiently to emerging challenges.
“This is particularly important in conditions when trouble spots are growing on our planet,” Pankin said adding that the optimal number of Security Council members should not exceed 20 states.