Moscow accuses the US and Kyiv of operating secret laboratories for the development of biological weapons in Ukraine - and is pushing for investigations by the UN. However, a corresponding resolution is now failing in the Security Council. Only one country, apart from Russia, voted in favour.
As expected, Russia failed at the UN Security Council with a resolution on bioweapons directed against the USA and Ukraine. The text, which is based on unsubstantiated Russian allegations that the US is producing biological weapons in Ukraine, received only two votes - from Moscow itself and from China.
The United States, Great Britain and France voted against the draft resolution. The remaining 10 countries on the 15-member council abstained. At least nine votes would have been required for acceptance. The resolution was seen as a renewed attempt by Moscow to enforce its unsubstantiated claims.
Deputy Russian ambassador to the UN Dmitry Polyansky criticized the outcome of the vote. This is an expression of the "usual colonial mentality" of the western states. Russia will revisit the issue at the Biological Weapons Convention Review Conference in Geneva from November 28 to December 16.
US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the US voted against the resolution because it was based on "misinformation, dishonesty, ill will and a total lack of respect" for the Security Council. "Nobody falls for it except China," she added. The United States and Ukraine categorically rejected Russian allegations of developing biological weapons last week. UN Deputy High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Adedeji Ebo said the UN was not aware of, and had neither the mandate nor the "technical capacity" to investigate, a biological weapons program in Ukraine.
