Ukrainian President Zelenskiy and Russian Ambassador Nebenzia clashed at a UN Security Council meeting on Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Albanian Prime Minister Rama made a sarcastic remark, and Zelenskiy called for Russia to be stripped of its veto right.
It was Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskiy’s first in-person appearance at a UN Security Council meeting on Moscow’s invasion of his country when Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia objected to him taking the floor at the start of the meeting, according to Reuters reports.
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama responded with a gibe at Moscow, which has long said the invasion does not amount to war but was a mere “special military operation”.
“I want to assure our Russian colleagues and everyone here that this is not a special operation by the Albanian presidency,” Rama, known for a piercing sense of humor, said to muted laughter across the room, Reuters reported.
Addressing Nebenzia directly at the meeting, Rama said, “There is a solution for this. If you agree, you stop the war and President Zelenskiy will not take the floor.”
However, Nebenzia did not agree and went on to say the session was a show. He criticized Rama for what he said was making politically charged statements rather than acting as a neutral guardian of procedure.
After the session, the Ukrainian PM expressed gratitude to Rama on social media, saying the Albanian showed the world how to correctly handle Russia along with its lies and hypocrisy.