The World Health Organization condemns Russia’s actions in Ukraine and rejects Moscow’s counter-proposal  

The World Health Organization passed a resolution denouncing the regional health emergency sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, rejecting a competing resolution from Moscow that made no mention of Russia’s role in the conflict.

The original proposal, put forward by the US and about 50 other countries, denounced Russia’s activities but did not go so far as to restrict Russia’s voting rights at the UN health agency, as some had hoped.

Both resolutions voiced “grave concerns” about the “ongoing health emergency in and around Ukraine,” but only the Western-led draught claims that the disaster was “caused by Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.”

Yevheniia Filipenko, Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, described Russia’s counter-proposal as a “twisted alternative reality.” “The Russian Federation’s unscrupulous attempt to fool this forum has failed,” she said of the result.

Alexander Alimov, Russia’s deputy ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, described the Western proposal as “politicised, one-sided, and biassed” in comparison to Russia’s own “constructive” offering. “It’s not acceptable to manipulate the WHO,” he added of the outcome.

In both votes, China backed Moscow, with its envoy Yang Zhilun claiming that the WHO was the wrong venue for discussing Ukraine’s health issues.