Comment by the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the UN on Russia’s initiative to hold a debate of the UN Security Council on cooperation with the CSTO
We deplore another abuse by Russia of the Security Council, this time by making the Council serve as a platform for promotion of Russia-led military bloc, named “Collective Security Treaty Organization.”
Regrettably, the Security Council’s debate on “Cooperation between the UN and regional and subregional organizations in maintaining international peace and security: CSTO, CIS and SCO,” held on July 19, 2024, has been used by Russia for this propaganda purpose.
For decades the CSTO has been one of Russia’s visible tools employed on the path towards regional hegemony and a vehicle for gaining influence among its neighbours.
Following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia – the heart of the CSTO – the UN General Assembly adopted on March 2, 2022, by overwhelming majority the resolution “Aggression against Ukraine” where it deplored in the strongest terms the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine in violation of Article 2, paragraph 4 of the UN Charter.
This resolution also mentions Belarus – another CSTO member – as a state involved in the unlawful use of force against Ukraine.
Russia’s attempts to promote its military bloc within the UN framework shall be clearly dissociated from the cooperation between the United Nations and regional and other organizations, held in accordance with Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations. Ukraine has always supported such cooperation as an important tool for the effective settlement of conflicts and the promotion of peace and security, humanitarian assistance, development and human rights across the globe.
The CSTO is not an organization that serves this purpose, and the United Nations shall not endorse its cooperation with the russian-led military bloc, which has become a clear example of the destructive policy tools that russia employs in the region.
Against the backdrop of the ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine, marked with numerous war crimes and crimes against humanity, it is unacceptable morally and politically to support any cooperation between the United Nations and Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization.
It speaks volumes that the most recent resolution on UN-CSTO cooperation gained support of only a quarter of the General Assembly during the vote in November 2022. It is not a consensus issue any longer. It is important to recall that Ukraine aligned then with the EU explanation of vote on the draft resolution, which stated that against the background of the Russian aggression against Ukraine “we can no longer support cooperation between the United Nations and the Collective Security Treaty Organization and we invite all UN Member States to consider taking the same approach in this regard.”
We urge the UN to seriously reconsider the practical value of cooperation with such organization as CSTO. We do not consider it appropriate even to discuss, let alone to plan any common actions in peacekeeping domain with the organization that includes the aggressor state as well as the state involved in the unlawful use of force against Ukraine.
It is our common task to uphold the UN credibility and to resist attempts to bring organizations like CSTO onto the UN platform under the guise of the Chapter VIII.