At UN, Russia and China Warn About Ukraine

Russia's top diplomat warned Saturday against "trying to fight to victory with a nuclear power," delivering a UN General Assembly speech packed with condemnations of what Russia sees as Western machinations in Ukraine and elsewhere—including inside the United Nations itself. In his address, per the AP, China's foreign minister warned fellow leaders against an "expansion of the battlefield" in Russia's war with Ukraine, saying the Beijing government remains committed to shuttle diplomacy and efforts to push the conflict to an end. The diplomatic warnings:

Russia: Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused the West of using Ukraine—which Russia invaded in February 2022—as a tool to try "to defeat" his country strategically and "preparing Europe for it to also throw itself into this suicidal escapade." Days after President Vladimir Putin suggested a shift in Russia's nuclear doctrine, Lavrov said, "I'm not going to talk here about the senselessness and the danger of the very idea of trying to fight to victory with a nuclear power, which is what Russia is." The specter of nuclear threats and confrontation has hung over the war in Ukraine since its start, per the AP. Shortly before the invasion, Putin reminded the world that his country was "one of the most powerful nuclear states," and he put its nuclear forces on high alert shortly after. His nuclear rhetoric has ramped up and toned down at various points since. There was no immediate response to Lavrov's address from the US, which had a junior diplomat taking notes in its assembly seat as he spoke.

China: "The top priority is to commit to no expansion of the battlefield" in Ukraine's battle against Russia's invasion, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in his speech. "China is committed to playing a constructive role," he added, warning other nations against "throwing oil on the fire or exploiting the situation for selfish gains"—a likely reference to the US. Along with Brazil, China lobbied other countries on Friday at the UN to support their plan to end the war. Provisions included a peace conference and a call to not expand the battlefield. Ukraine did not welcome the proposals, and in the end, China and Brazil said about a dozen nations signed a communique saying they "note" the plan. (More Russia-Ukraine war stories.)