UNITED NATIONS, December 14. /TASS/. In their desire to expand NATO, Western countries are pushing the European continent towards confrontation, which threatens the entire world, Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya told a meeting of the UN Security Council entitled "Maintenance of International Peace and Security."
"By rendering absolute NATO's right to expand at the expense of the principle of indivisibility of security, Western countries have brought the European continent to the brink of a confrontation which may engulf the entire world," the Russian UN ambassador said. "The West was unwilling to engage in a meaningful dialogue ahead of the crisis [in Ukraine], nor it is willing to do this now," he added.
"Obviously, the future of the world order is being decided today. The choice is clear - either it will be an order with one hegemon that establishes rules that benefit only itself, or it will be a democratic, multipolar, fair, UN-centric world without blackmail, domination, intimidation of the unwanted and neocolonialism," Nebenzya noted.
Within the context of the conflict in Ukraine, the ambassador stressed that Western countries stop at nothing to weaken Russia. "The West does not shy away from any means and methods to achieve its goals. Today the bet is on debilitating and strategically defeating Russia," he said, pointing out that such a task had been set long before the start of Russia's special military operation.