Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has underscored that the ongoing violence in the Gaza Strip represents the most pressing international issue, which the United Nations Security Council must address without delay, during a press conference following discussions with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty.
“We welcome any measures aimed at quickly ending the bloodshed and achieving a sustainable, permanent ceasefire. We are pursuing this objective in the UN Security Council alongside our Egyptian counterparts,” Lavrov said. However, he criticized the United States for its reluctance to support resolutions that would effectively tackle the root causes of the violence.
Lavrov condemned the US for its perceived unconstructive stance, emphasizing that the Gaza conflict should be the Security Council’s primary focus. He noted that a recent US draft resolution on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was criticized for being vague and lacking specific commitments. “The US introduced a resolution that was neither specific nor comprehensive,” Lavrov explained. “When we sought confirmation from Israel about its agreement with the resolution, they declined, which led us to abstain from supporting it.”
At the request of Arab colleagues, including Palestinians, Russia chose to abstain rather than veto the resolution, hoping to give it a chance. Lavrov described the resolution as ineffective, stating, “The resolution was adopted, but it remains essentially a blank sheet of paper. No promises from the United States have been fulfilled, but we must continue our efforts.”
Lavrov warned that without implementing UN Security Council and General Assembly resolutions aimed at establishing a Palestinian state, the conflict risks becoming frozen once again.
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Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on TASS materials