Russia boycotts UNSC meet; accuses EU of 'Russophobic' policies, aiding Ukraine amid war

In a key development, Russia decided to boycott the UN Security Council meeting with the EU Political and Security Committee (PSC) in retaliation for the EU's "Russophobic policies", stated Dmitry Polyanskiy, Russian permanent representative to the council, on Wednesday. Taking to his Telegram channel, Polyanskiy claimed that the "informal" meeting is an attempt to "put out the fire of the Ukrainian crisis by adding gasoline," Tass news agency reported. The move is anticipated to add to the already widened rift between Russia, United Nations, and its allies.

"We made this decision in connection with the clearly hostile and Russophobic policy of the EU, which is actively trying to ‘put out’ the fire of the Ukrainian crisis by adding gasoline to it," the Russian diplomat said. Polyanskiy further lashed out at the EU leadership, accusing them of gaslighting the Ukraine war by dispatching more weapons to Kyiv. The meeting between the UN and EU PSC is the first since 2019 after it was suspended due to COVID-19.  The interaction between both organisations is expected to address the atrocities in Ukraine amid the Russian invasion that began on February 24.

It is pertinent to mention here that since the onset of the "unprovoked" attack on Ukraine, Russia has been imposed a barrage of penalties, and ouster from several notable global organisations, including the UN bodies. Moscow has been suspended from the UN Human Rights Council after it allegedly carried out war crimes in Bucha and bombed civilian infrastructure and hospitals in several Ukrainian cities.

EU proposed a complete oil embargo on Russia

The European Union on Wednesday proposed a new package of sanctions against Moscow, including a blanket ban on Russian oil imports. Furthermore, EU chief Ursula Von der Leyen also outlined that the EU countries will phase out dependence on Russian gas by the end of this year. The draft sanctions also predominantly target financial institutions, including Sberbank, Russia's largest lender. During her address at the European Parliament, the EU chief stressed that for Ukraine to emerge victoriously, it is necessary for the country to be able to "rebuild." She introduced the "relief and reconstruction" initiative for Ukraine, under which the 27 nations bloc is expected to extend immediate relief and short-term economic support to help Ukraine "cope with the fall out of the war."

(Image: AP)