It’s about the UN Charter and about the sovereignty and the integrity of a border of an independent country and their right to choose who they will associate with. It’s about the Security Council’s responsibility. But it’s also raised the profile of this issue with other countries who initially saw this as a conflict between Russia and the United States, and what the Secretary said very clearly today, this is about the United Nations. It has worked, one, to give pause, I think, to the Russians on taking action so quickly. It’s about sharing with the world, sharing with the American people, American citizens in Ukraine and the Ukrainians what we are seeing and the gravity of the situation on the ground and why we are taking this situation so seriously. And we communicate with each other in the Security Council on our WhatsApp, and I was getting one message after another from colleagues around the table, thanking him for the strong message that he delivered today.
QUESTION: So first, share with us any reaction that you heard, maybe not on camera, to his very blunt words in a body that isn’t always quick to move and respond, and just talk about the strategy of collecting, analyzing, and releasing all the intelligence that we gather with the hope and goal of averting war.ĪMBASSADOR THOMAS-GREENFIELD: Well, first, there were lots of nodding of heads as he gave his statement.
This is the exact kind of crisis that the United Nations and, specifically, this Security Council was created to prevent. The principle that one country cannot dictate another’s choices or policies or with whom it will associate.
The principle that one country cannot change the borders of another by force. Because the basic principles that sustain peace and security principles that were enshrined in the wake of two world wars and a cold war are under threat. SECRETARY ANTONY BLINKEN: This crisis directly affects every member of this Council and every country in the world. But that seems to be possibly one of the most novel and effective tools in the United States’ arsenal. QUESTION: I want to play some of what he said in the Security Council, and then I’m going to ask you about this strategy of releasing all the intelligence once we’ve collected it and verified it. I think there was tremendous support for him being there, tremendous respect by other members of the Security Council, that he had taken the time to come, and I think they heard his message, and they were also concerned with what they heard him share with us very openly in the Security Council.
Tell us about the importance of what he said today and the reaction behind the scenes, if you would.ĪMBASSADOR LINDA THOMAS-GREENFIELD: Look, I think that the gravity of the situation on the ground in Ukraine really made sense for us to have the Secretary of State, the U.S.’s top diplomat, come to the Security Council and deliver the statement that he made today. Ambassador, I know it was your request that Secretary of State Blinken travel, or on his way to Munich, travel to the United Nations. Ambassador to the United Nations, Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
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