US, Russia clash at UN

Category
International Relations
Published
10th Feb, 2024

Context

At a UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine, the United States accused Russia of firing at least nine North Korean-supplied missiles at Ukraine, while Moscow labelled Washington a “direct accomplice” in the downing of a Russian military transport plane last month.

US’s claim:

Russia has launched Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)-supplied ballistic missiles against Ukraine on at least nine occasions.
Their actions undermine long-standing obligations under UN Security Council
Russia has stepped up ties with North Korea and other countries hostile to the United States such as Iran since the start of the war with Ukraine – relations that are a source of concern to the West.

Russia’s claim:

A Russian Air Force Il-76 fell from the skies in January this year. All 74 people on board, including 65 captured Ukrainian soldiers en route to be swapped for Russian prisoners of war, were killed, and blamed Kyiv for downing the plane.
A Patriot surface-to-air missile was used to carry out the strike, which leaves no doubt the Washington is a direct accomplice in this crime as well

Patriot Missile

The Patriot, which stands for Phased Array Tracking Radar for Intercept on Target, is a theater-wide surface-to-air missile defense system.
It is considered one of the most advanced air defense systems in the U.S. arsenal.
The system was first used in combat during the 1991 Gulf War, with batteries protecting Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Israel, and later used during the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003.
It is a mobile system that usually includes powerful radar, a control station, a power generator, launch stations and other support vehicles.
The system has different capabilities depending on the type of interceptor used.