Analytics, Baltic States – CIS, Estonia, Russia, USA

This week, the Russian Federation held an Arria formula event at the UN Security Council, allegedly on the status of the implementation of the Minsk agreements, where speakers included the representatives of the so-called people's republics of separatist Donetsk and Luhansk. Only two other UN Security Council member states apart from Russia spoke at the meeting; several countries, including Estonia and other European Union members of the Security Council, refused to attend due to the event's obvious bias.

Estonian Foreign Minister Reinsalu said that the modest participation at this biased event demonstrated that countries could see through the aggressor's attempts to present itself as a mediator within an internal conflict.

"We support the peaceful resolution of the conflict in eastern Ukraine with full respect of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Russia’s attempts to bend the truth are not conducive to this," the Estonian minister said.

Estonia, the United Kingdom and the United States made a joint statement on the meeting.

"Russia held a meeting at the UN today on what Russia claims is the status of the implementation of the Minsk agreements. This meeting was a transparent attempt to present a false and misleading narrative regarding the conflict in eastern Ukraine. We strongly reject Russia’s premise that it is acting as a mediator within an internal conflict. Russia is an active participant that trains, arms, and leads armed formations in areas outside of Ukrainian government control, supplementing these proxy forces with military personnel and equipment. It instigated and continues to fuel a conflict which has resulted in approximately 13,000 deaths, appalling human rights abuses, and a deteriorating humanitarian situation for the civilian population," the statement reads. 

In the statement, the three countries reiterated their support for the Minsk agreements and their firm commitment to see the peaceful resolution of the conflict with full respect of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. They also welcomed the steps taken by the Ukrainian government to make progress in resolving the conflict and call on Russia to act likewise.

"We will continue to engage with all initiatives at the UN that support constructive ends. This event, designed purely to distort the realities of the conflict in eastern Ukraine, served Russian interests alone," Estonia, the United Kingdom and the United States said.