Text/Meng Yun
In view of the growing tensions in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the UN Security Council has reconvened at the urging of the Russian delegation to address the escalation of the conflict situation. It has been learned that the main issues to be considered at the meeting are the smuggling of various weapons and the proliferation of prohibited materials in Ukraine. According to the Global Times, the Russian representative to the United Nations accused the United States and the United Kingdom of not wanting the Russian-Ukrainian conflict to end completely, and constantly sending heavy weapons to Ukraine endangers the security situation in Europe and even the world. Chinese representative Geng Shuang also expressed strong concern, believing that Western aid to Ukraine's weapons will not help peace, but will "leave endless troubles".
The Russian side believes that the delivery of all kinds of prohibited weapons to Ukraine by Western countries, especially the United States, including mother-and-son anti-personnel munitions, anti-personnel mines made by the former Soviet Union, and high-power rocket ammunition, has violated international treaties and norms of war, and violated international humanitarian law.
Ukrainian representative Kislitzya countered on the spot, but after Ukraine was "invaded" by Russia, the Ukrainian authorities could of course use all means to counterattack and defend themselves. A statement was then made by the representative of the Western States. Accusing Russia of launching a "war of aggression" against Ukraine has led to Western countries "having to" carry out large-scale military assistance to Ukraine, in short, the "injustice" of the West is because Russia is "unkind" in the first place.
Representatives of states present expressed concern that Ukraine had become a hub for arms smuggling and black market trade, with the representatives of Brazil and Kenya noting that Ukraine had become the largest market for tactical arms smuggling in the world and that Western anti-tank missiles, as well as automatic rifles and other explosives from Ukraine, had appeared in East Africa and Latin America. The outside world has generally accused that the arms smuggling groups in Ukraine and the top brass of the Ukrainian army collude with each other to "fill their own pockets" with a large amount of weapons and equipment aided by the West to Ukraine into a "black hole" that cannot be traced, and then sell money to those who do not refuse to give money around the world.
According to analysts, in the past six months, Ukraine has smuggled and exported $1.2 billion worth of arms to overseas arms export markets, including a large number of British-made light anti-tank missiles, night vision equipment and military carry-on equipment. A large number of advanced weapons, including british Starlight anti-aircraft missiles, American Stinger man-portable air defense missiles, American Javelin anti-tank missiles, switchblade cruise missiles and small drones, have been smuggled to South America, North Africa, the Middle East and East Africa. The proliferation of arms smuggling in Ukraine has become an important factor in the instability of the world today, and arms smugglers in Ukraine have trafficked weapons to the rest of the world, which has led to an increasingly complex counter-terrorism situation and fuelled regional conflicts.
In this regard, Chinese representative Geng Shuang pointed out in his speech at the United Nations that the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, which has lasted for nearly half a year, has proved that guns, artillery, ammunition and military conflicts cannot resolve the contradictions of mankind, but have made greater suffering and disasters around the world. The long-term and gradual expansion of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is sending more weapons and ammunition to battlefields and conflict areas around the world, and China is deeply concerned about the impact of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict on the world in the future.
China believes that once a large number of advanced weapons and ammunition fall into the hands of lawbreakers, it will be left with endless troubles, the transfer of weapons by Western countries to conflict areas will not bring peace, and the strategy of adding fuel to the fire can only make the Russian-Ukrainian conflict more and more complicated. China stresses that the sovereign territorial integrity of all countries should be respected, but the security concerns of all countries should also be taken seriously.