A remark by China's ambassador
to France has sparked
controversy right around the world
during a French TV interview.
Ambassador Lu Shaye
seemingly questioned
the sovereignty of former
Soviet republics.
Now those nations
and you want answers from Beijing.
Lucia said this.
These ex-Soviet countries
don't have an effective status
in international law
because there
was no international agreement
to materialize their status
as sovereign countries do.
Chase Common said now.
One of the topics at today's
meeting of EU foreign ministers
and it could
jeopardize China's efforts
to be a mediator
between Ukraine and Russia.
Ivan Watson, extended all
comments by China's
ambassador to Paris on French television.
Claims that former Soviet republics
don't have any real status.
According to international law.
They triggered somewhat
of a diplomatic firestorm
in Europe
with the governments of three former
Soviet republics,
Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia,
all saying that they would be summoning
Chinese diplomats
to try to clarify these claims.
And meanwhile,
a statement has come out
on the Chinese embassy in France's
website today,
showing a pretty sharp 180 degree U-turn
with the statement, quote,
The ambassador,
Lucia's remarks on
the question of Ukraine
were not a statement of policy,
but an expression
of his personal opinion.
They should not be the subject
of over interpretation.
And going on to say that
China
respects the sovereignty,
independence and territorial integrity
of all countries
and that China would like to help mediate
a peaceful settlement to Russia's ongoing
invasion and occupation of Ukraine.
But it appears
the damage has already been done.
The Foreign Ministry of Lithuania says
his government
simply does
not trust China to negotiate
when it comes to this conflict.
Take a listen.
This is a narrative
that we've been hearing from Moscow,
and now it's being sent out by another
by another country,
which is in our eyes
as an ally of Moscow.
In many cases, if not militarily
and politically at least,
and sending the same messages,
questioning of,
you know, of the whole concept
of independence, of sovereignty,
which is very dangerous in these days.
There have also been statements
by the European
Union foreign policy chief
calling the Chinese ambassador's remarks
unacceptable, also from another former
Soviet republic,
Moldova, its foreign ministry, saying
it was surprised
it wanted clarification from Beijing.
Part of
this gets to the suspicion
in parts of Eastern Europe
about China,
which professes to be neutral
in the Russia-Ukraine war,
even as the Chinese
leader, Xi Jinping, continues to conduct
face to face meetings
with the Russian president,
Vladimir Putin.
While he has yet
to have any direct communication
with the Ukrainian president,
Volodymyr Zelensky.
Ivan Watson, CNN, Hong Kong.
Now in more dangerous place
than during the Cold War,
that is the worldview of Russia's
foreign minister,
who's been chairing a meeting at the U.N.
Security Council
over the past couple of hours, in fact.
Russia currently holds
the rotating monthly presidency
of the Security Council
as the session got underway.
The U.N.
secretary general slammed
Russia's invasion of Ukraine,
as well as the devastation it has caused.
In turn, Sergei Lavrov,
the man you're looking on your screen.
Said The world is currently
in a more precarious situation
than in decades. This is what he said.
As was the case
in the
Cold War,
we have reached a dangerous, possibly
even more dangerous threshold.
The situation is worsened
with the loss of trust
in multilateralism.
When the financial economic
aggression of the West
is destroying
the benefits of globalization,
when the United States and its allies
are abandoning diplomacy
in Japan, demanding
clarification of relations
on the battlefield
and this is all done in the halls
of the United Nations,
which was created
to prevent the horrors of war.
Let's get more into this.
Richard Roth has the very latest
on the meeting from the U.N.
Richard, good to see you.
I mean, what we heard there,
just a little clip from Sergei
Lavrov was a pretty less
long list of grievances,
but any acceptance to the
role it's playing in Ukraine,
acceptance by the other
members of the Security Council?
Not really.
I mean,
Sergei Lavrov,
the Russian foreign minister,
he was here for years as Russia's U.N.
ambassador.
He knows the terrain.
He knew the storm.
He was walking into the U.S.
ambassador to the U.N.,
Linda Thomas-Greenfield,
before the meeting said
Russia is the giant elephant in the room.
It's still amazing
that there's a conflict
with one
permanent member of the Security Council
invading another country.
And they are now
chairing the Security Council
for the month of April.
Lavrov will be present tomorrow
for another meeting on the Middle East,
and he'll be in the chair seat.
And he may hold
a press conference tomorrow The U.S.
ambassador announced once again
Russia's actions are illegal,
trying to invade and take over
another member country.
A different note.
Elizabeth Whalen,
the sister of imprisoned U.S.
citizen Paul
Whalen,
spoke to the press outside
of the Security Council,
and she defiantly said
that the US must help
get Whalen out of Russia
and Moscow must acquiesce
Russia's less than
sophisticated take on diplomacy
is to arbitrarily detained
American citizens
in order to extract concessions
from the United States.
This is not the work of a mature
and responsible nation.
It is the action of a terrorist state.
And I am here to tell Russia
free paul whelan,
the u.s.
ambassador, said that we ilin
and the Wall Street Journal reporter
Garrett scavenge
are political pawns in this matter.
The u.s.
has spoken already at this meeting.
Russia has spoken, though
it's very possible
russia will want to respond
to all the criticism
from major western countries
and some african countries
at the meeting.
Thank you very much,
richard roth for us there in new York.
Appreciate it, Richard.