UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- Russia and the U.S. clashed in the United Nations
on Friday over Moscow's plans to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in
Belarus.

China, without naming Russia, made clear its opposition to the planned
deployment.

Ukraine's U.N. Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya called for the U.N. Security
Council meeting following Russian President Vladimir Putin's announcement
on March 25 that his country plans to deploy tactical, comparatively
short-range and small-yield nuclear weapons in Belarus.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko upped the ante just before the
council meeting, saying Russia might also deploy strategic nuclear weapons
in Belarus, which Russian forces have used as a staging ground for the war
in Ukraine.

Kyslytsya said it took only four days for Putin to violate a pledge he
made to China's President Xi Jinping in a joint statement at their recent
meeting in Moscow. It declared that all nuclear states should refrain from
deploying nuclear weapons outside their countries and withdraw those
deployed abroad.

The same point was emphasized by the U.S. and Chinese deputy U.N.
ambassadors, among others.

"We call for the abolition of the nuclear-sharing arrangements and
advocate no deployment of nuclear weapons abroad by all nuclear weapons
states, and the withdrawal of nuclear weapons deployed abroad," said Geng
Shuang of China.

Calling nuclear weapons "the sword of Damocles hanging over our heads,"
Geng reiterated that China opposes armed attacks against nuclear power
plants and the threat or use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine. He said
"nuclear proliferation must be prevented and nuclear crisis avoided."

Beijing claims to have a neutral stance in the war, but has also stressed
its "no limits friendship" with Russia. It has refused to criticize
Moscow's invasion, and late last month released a peace plan calling for a
cease-fire and talks between Ukraine and Russia.

Kyslytsya welcomed Beijing's stand, telling the council: "To the credit of
the Chinese side, the Chinese side reminded Moscow in a very sensible
manner that nuclear war cannot be won and fought, and that nuclear
proliferation must be prevented."

Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said Moscow is not transferring
nuclear weapons but "operational tactical missile complexes," which will
be under Russian control. He insisted this was not in violation of
Moscow's international obligations.

Nebenzia accused the United States of destroying key arms control
agreements and he repeated Putin's objection to the tactical nuclear
weapons the U.S. has deployed in other NATO countries, indicating that
this violated the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, the cornerstone of
global disarmament.

Belarus' U.N. Ambassador Valentin Rybakov said the planned deployment of
tactical nuclear weapons was a reaction to "the challenges and risks to
national security" his country faces, citing NATO neighbors ramping up
their military capacity and Western sanctions. He also criticized the U.S.
nuclear sharing with its allies.

The U.S. deputy ambassador, Robert Wood, countered that the issue of
nuclear sharing within NATO was discussed during negotiations on the NPT
treaty, and for close to four decades Washington heard nothing about it
from Russia until after its takeover of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in
2014.

Wood stressed that any allegations that the United States is not in full
compliance with the nonproliferation treaty "are just patently false."

He accused Russia of "attempting to manipulate the specter of nuclear
conflict" to help win the war in Ukraine.

"No other country is inflicting such damage on arms control nor seeking to
undermine strategic stability in Europe," Wood said. "No other country has
raised the prospect of potential nuclear use in connection with the war in
Ukraine. No country is threatening Russia or threatening President Putin."

### - so much for 'diplomacy' then huh... another myth busted?

(slider silently mouths the words: 'i am sooo cynical') :D

plus so much for the UN too! if merely resorting to eloquently cussing
each other out is the BEST our so-called 'ambassadors' can be bothered
with in this time of crisis?? geez!

lol it's a wonder they didn't start actually thumping each other?? haha
:)))

can just see the headlines innit... Newsflash: 'Fists Fly At The UN!'

diplomacy? - yeah riiiiiiiight..... 'coercion' would be a far more
appropriate term...

coz it's gone waaay PAST diplomacy! if indeed it ever existed that is...

unless... they bring it back?? (unlikely now until summat truly 'orrible
happens!)

no? fuck diplomacy then, was obviously only ever a barefaced lie to begin
with heh...

as in: "whiteman speaks with forked tongue!" (great line + lol @ them
actually saying that?)

yep, we gots your 'diplomacy' right here pally...

we just calls it bs-delux :P

so hurry-up and bring-on the all-out mayhem show bud, coz thang's gettin'
impatient!

and we don't need another one of his: mr-angry meltdowns haha :))))