Russia and China veto US resolution for “immediate” ceasefire at UN Security Council

The text, which received 11 votes in favor, three votes against (Russia, China and Algeria) and one abstention (Guyana), does not use the words “calls” or “requests”, to the great dismay of Russia.

Russia and China vetoed, Friday March 22, an American resolution highlighting the “need” of a ceasefire “immediate” in Gaza. The Russian ambassador denounced a text “hypocritical” which does not directly call for silencing the guns.

“China and Russia simply did not want to vote for a draft drafted by the US, because they would rather see us fail than see the Council succeed,” castigated the American ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, denouncing a decision “cynical”.

Since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas on October 7, the Americans had systematically opposed the use of the term “ceasefire” in UN resolutions, blocking three texts in this sense.

But they finally decided to put to the vote this Friday a text which noted “the need for an immediate and lasting ceasefire to protect civilians on all sides, enable the delivery of essential humanitarian assistance (…), and with this in mind, unequivocally supports international diplomatic efforts to achieve to such a ceasefire in connection with the release of the hostages still held”.

“A diluted formulation” according to Russia

While the United States is under pressure from the international community to soften its support for Israel, American Secretary of State Antony Blinken described this initiative on Wednesday as “strong signal”.

This resolution “calls for an immediate ceasefire linked to the release of the hostages and we strongly hope that countries will support it”, he assured in an interview with the Saudi television channel Al Hadath. But the text, which received 11 votes in favor, three votes against (Russia, China and Algeria) and one abstention (Guyana), does not use the words “call” Or “request”to the great dismay of Russia.

“While Gaza has almost been erased from the map, the American representative, without batting an eyelid, assures that Washington recognizes the need for a ceasefire,” launched Russian Ambassador Vassili Nebenzia. He denounced the “hypocritical spectacle” of the United States who tried to “selling to the international community a totally different product, a diluted formulation”.