The Trump administration has severely criticised Russia for the first time with its newly appointed ambassador to the United Nations lambasting Moscow for its military intervention in Ukraine.
Making her maiden address to a session of the UN security council on Thursday, Nikki Haley said: “Eastern Ukraine of course is not the only part of the country suffering because of Russia’s aggressive actions. The United States continues to condemn and call for an immediate end to the Russian occupation of Crimea.”
“Crimea is a part of Ukraine. Our Crimea related sanctions will remain in place until Russia returns control of the peninsula to Ukraine,” said Haley, who was formerly governor of South Carolina.
Haley’s remarks at the UN echoed the tough position she took on Russia at her Senate confirmation hearings but were in strong contrast to the tone taken by the White House which has been silent on Russian actions in Ukraine. Donald Trump has consistently praised Vladimir Putin and held an hour-long phone conversation with the Russian leader on Saturday, which was characterised by the Kremlin as friendly and focused on future joint action on counter-terrorism. The new upsurge of fighting in eastern Ukraine began soon after the Trump-Putin call.
In her speech at the security council, Haley appeared to acknowledge the White House’s desire to forge better ties with Moscow, but said Russian actions in Ukraine made it impossible to lift sanctions.
No comments:
Post a Comment