NYN | News
The Russian delegation at the UN Security Council abstained from voting on a British draft resolution that would extend the sanctions regime imposed on Yemen for an additional 12 months, along with renewing the mandate of the Panel of Experts under the 2140 Sanctions Committee.
Russia’s representative to the Council said on Friday that his country views sanctions as an influential tool in the hands of the Security Council, but they must be used in a way that serves the political settlement process and promotes peace and stability—rather than turning, as he put it, into a means to achieve narrow political goals or exert unjustified pressure on parties to the conflict.
The Russian envoy accused some Western countries of adopting a “politicized approach” in their handling of the Yemeni file, warning that such a trajectory undermines chances of returning to diplomatic negotiations that could lead to a comprehensive settlement.
He explained that the draft resolution contains phrases he described as “unbalanced and one-sided,” considering them provocative to one of the main parties in the Yemeni conflict, which could undermine any potential progress toward a political solution.
He added that the text in its current form effectively opens the door to tightening the sanctions regime in the future—something Russia cannot support at this stage.
