“The most reasonable action today is a complete ceasefire in Ukraine. No strings attached,†Pink Floyd musician Roger Waters today addressed members of the UN Security Council with these words. Waters was invited to the meeting by the Russian Federation. The meeting was devoted to issues related to the supply of arms to Ukraine.
Roger Waters strongly condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and called it “illegal”. He also condemned the actions of the so-called “provocateurs”, which he said caused this war. The musician did not explain who he considers such “provocateurs”. In his very moving speech, he condemned the “eternal wars” that empires unleash for colonial conquest. He called for an end to the war in Ukraine and all wars in general – and then, in his own words, humanity can “feed all the hungry” and avoid nuclear Armageddon.
“I speak on behalf of millions whose voices have not yet been heard – we do not profit from war,” said Roger Waters, addressing the UN Security Council via video link. “We are not raising our sons and daughters to be cannon fodder… We cannot afford to lose even one Ukrainian or Russian life. None. They are all precious to us. It’s time to tell the truth to the leaders. Do you all remember the story of the naked king? Of course you remember. Here, then, are the rulers of your respective empires who stand naked before us today.
It was the desire of Western companies to profit from the war that Russia tried to explain that peace in Ukraine was not yet achieved. Russia’s permanent representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, said that “the levers for achieving peace have fallen into the hands of Western arms companies”, and they are only buying time to make as much profit as possible. Nebenzya said that the money allocated by the United States to support Ukraine does not reach Ukraine, but flows directly into the American military-industrial complex.
However, the Russian position was parried and rejected by most diplomats who spoke at this meeting. The representative of Japan, for example, said that it was not at all about enriching the military-industrial complex, but about “restoring people’s dignity and stopping the Russian threat”. The representative of the United Kingdom said that her country is proud of the help it is giving and will give to Ukraine, because it “defends its territory and its freedom”. And the American diplomat underlined that Russia, accusing all the arms companies, is trying to free itself from its responsibility in the war in Ukraine.
“The security assistance, including weapons, provided by the United States and 50 other countries that will continue to be provided is designed to protect Ukraine in self-defense,†said Richard Mills, Representative United States Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations. “Ukraine uses these weapons to counter the Russian army, which is committing war crimes on Ukrainian soil. These weapons are designed to stop Russia’s constant bombardment of Ukrainian cities, and are also designed to intercept Russian missiles that target power lines and other civilian targets. We reject Russian accusations that Ukrainian self-defense is an obstacle to stopping the war. No one wants peace in Ukraine more than the Ukrainians themselves.
Izumi Nakamitsu, the United Nations High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, also addressed the Security Council meeting. According to her, the UN is concerned about the escalation of the situation in Ukraine, which is associated with Western arms deliveries, as well as Russian arms deliveries to a private military company which is fighting on Ukrainian territory. . Nakamitsu meant the Wagner group. She also recalled that more than 18,500 civilians in Ukraine had already suffered during the year of the war, and more than 7,000 of them had been killed.
Serhiy Kyslytsya, Ukraine’s permanent representative to the UN, echoed Ukraine’s position that Russia “illegally” took over the seat of a permanent member of the Security Council previously held by the Soviet Union. Having a right of veto, this renders the Security Council impotent in the face of Russian aggression in Ukraine.
“I want to respond to those who call for peace at all costs, including the cost of sacrificing Ukrainian territory and the price of forgiveness for Ukrainian lives lost,” said Serhiy Kislitsa. — Non-violence guru Mahatma Gandhi said, “Temperance means forgiveness only when there is power to punish crimes. It doesn’t make sense when it comes from impotence. I want to ask those who call for peace at all costs, and all who are present here: are you ready to show this power and punish those who do evil?
