Ambassador Richard Mills
Deputy United States Representative to the United Nations
New York, New York
September 30, 2022
Thank you, Mr. President. And thanks to Assistant Secretary General Hanif and the other reporters today.
I will be a bit more than I thought, as once again our Russian colleagues have decided to use the Security Council meeting to spread conspiracy theories and disinformation, to quote my colleague, “morbid fantasies”.
But let me start by saying clearly and unequivocally that we are deeply concerned about the apparent sabotage that took place on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines. As we have just heard in the UK, deliberate actions by damage critical infrastructure.
Efforts are underway to investigate, and the United States strongly supports European efforts to conduct this important research. It may take time, but the search for truth will not be rushed. It is important that we first establish the facts.
Now I know that our Russian colleagues have had a bad evening. A bad day indeed. They had to sit through that weird fascist, Nuremberg-style demonstration, combined with the Las Vegas spectacle of the 1970s, that took place in Moscow this morning to celebrate the illegal annexation of Ukrainian territory. And that afternoon they were beaten by the Council’s vote, clearly sending the message about their annexation of Ukrainian territory.
But I don’t think that justifies, once again, the Russian delegation raising conspiracy theories and mass disinformation at this Council. My Russian colleague continues to use inflammatory rhetoric accusing the United States of being involved in this act of sabotage.
Let me answer your question. Let me be clear: the United States categorically denies any involvement in this incident. And we reject any claim to the contrary.
Let me also talk about the supply of energy since it was raised, and the relationship between the United States and our European friends and partners in the energy sector. It has been clear for years that Russia is not a reliable energy supplier. So yes, the United States has been working with our European partners and our allies to increase their energy resilience and provide alternative supplies. We are working in the short term and in the long term to address energy security and the stability of global energy markets, not just for Europe, but for the world.
I will end here because while we get to the bottom of what happened in Nord Stream, we will not let Russia’s disinformation apparatus distract us from addressing the main issue at hand, which is the continued aggression against Ukraine and the destruction of civilian infrastructure in sovereign territory of Ukraine.
It is important that we use this meeting not to promote conspiracy theories, but to focus our attention on Russia’s flagrant violation of the Charter and its crimes in Ukraine. In just half a year, Ukraine has become the scene of some of the worst mass violence, including destruction of infrastructure, that Europe has witnessed in decades. We are all deeply concerned by last week’s finding by the UN commission of inquiry that Russia committed war crimes in Ukraine, including the deliberate destruction of infrastructure.
Sabotage of critical infrastructure should concern us all. In the context of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, we have seen numerous Russian attacks that damaged civilian infrastructure. We have witnessed Russia recklessly take control of the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, risking a nuclear disaster in Europe. We have seen countless attacks that destroyed civilian electrical infrastructure.
Russia attacked energy and water infrastructure in Kharkiv, Zmiiv and Pavlograd on September 11 and 12, causing massive blackouts and water cuts. On September 14, Russia was reported to have struck a dam at the Karachuniv Reservoir, causing fears of flooding.
We have also heard in this same room UN experts recount numerous verified cases of damage to civilians and civilian infrastructure as a result of Russia’s war against Ukraine. These reports include credible reports of the bombing of educational institutions, medical clinics, hospitals, killings of aid workers, medical staff and patients. Evidence of the scale of the atrocities continues to mount as Russia ignores international calls for an immediate halt to this war.
Despite the efforts we heard today to distract us from the truth, to spread more disinformation and somewhat absurd theories, the facts on the ground in Ukraine speak for themselves. Russian attacks in Ukraine have hit civilians and reduced cities to rubble, leaving thousands dead and injured.
