Malta walks out on Russian official indicted for war crimes during UN meet

Malta’s top diplomat at the UN walked out on Russia’s children’s commissioner on Wednesday as she spoke via video at an informal meeting for Security Council members.

Malta joined the US, UK and Albania and walked out in protest when Maria Lvova-Belova started her briefing at the meeting called by Russia on the evacuation of Ukrainian children from Ukraine.

Belova was indicted by the International Criminal Court along with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month. The ICC wants Putin and Belova to be arrested and face war crime charges, including those related to the forceful deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia.

The Maltese Foreign Ministry said the Russian Security Council Presidency organised the Arria-formula meeting entitled Children And Armed Conflict, Ukrainian Crisis: Evacuating Children From Conflict Zone.

“Russia invited Maria Lvova-Belova to brief the Council. She has been indicted by the ICC for the alleged criminal responsibility for the war crime of unlawful deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children from occupied areas of Ukraine to Russia. The Russians further invited two officials of the so-called ‘Donetsk People’s Republic’. The US, UK, Albania, and Malta therefore walked out in protest when these briefers took the floor. The walkout was staged a few hours before the start of the meeting,” the ministry said.

Malta saw Russia’s choice of speakers as an affront to the members of the Security Council and the international community, the ministry added.

“It was yet another clear sign of Russia’s complete contempt for the United Nations. Malta’s presence at the meeting yesterday was purely to counter Russia’s disinformation. The same messages were echoed by other like-minded Security Council members,” the ministry said.

Russia and the US are not parties to the ICC and it is unclear if or how Putin will ever be arrested.

The UK and US blocked the informal meeting from being webcast by the UN. When Belova appeared on the video wall, diplomats from the four countries stood up and walked out of the room.

Ukraine accuses Russia of having abducted and forcibly deported Ukrainian children to Russia since the start of the invasion more than a year ago. Russia denies its troops have committed war crimes.

Malta started serving a two-year term on the UN Security Council last January, and even chaired the council in February as part of a rotational system.

During one of the meetings, Foreign Minister Ian Borg had squared off with the Russian diplomat who had objected to Ukraine addressing the UNSC on the first anniversary of the invasion.