Ukraine pushes UN to "stop financing Russian aggression" by buying Russian goods, services

That’s according to CBS News, Ukrinform reports.

"If you buy goods and services from Russian companies you support their war effort, no matter what the amount is," Ukraine's Permanent Representative to the UN, Sergiy Kyslytsya, told CBS News on Monday.

The UN has spent at least $2.5 billion on Russian goods and services since 2014, when Putin launched his first invasion of Ukraine. During 2020 alone, the last year for which figures are available, UN purchases from Russia totalled $272 million. The money buys a wide range of things, from food supplies for humanitarian relief efforts, to aircraft and the personnel to fly them for peace missions. 

Ukraine's delegation first asked the UN leadership in a formal letter sent in March to "immediately suspend all non-essential procurement cooperation of the UN with the Russian Federation."

Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said the UN responded to that letter from the Ukrainian Mission by explaining that UN purchasing was determined "on the basis of best value for money, fairness, integrity and transparency, and effective international competition," and that other factors were not taken into consideration.

Dujarric said those standards for the spending of UN funds were set by the 193-nation General Assembly, and that changing them would require a new General Assembly resolution. 

Kyslytsya told CBS News the UN's response was "not satisfactory politically, and morally questionable."

In addition to the request by the current Ukrainian delegation, on Sunday, six former Ukrainian diplomats, including the UN's former procurement director and former ambassadors, sent a letter calling for the UN to end all procurement from Russia.

"Stop financing Russian aggression through the UN business opportunities," the signatories said in the letter, which was obtained exclusively by CBS News.

The letter pointed to the General Assembly's vote last week to kick Russia off the UN Human Rights Council, saying it "shows that when there is the political will, there is a way to do the right thing."

Noting the substantial sum the UN had paid Russia for goods and services since Putin's 2014 invasion, the former diplomats' letter said: "Against the background of global economic sanctions, such a 'generosity' is baffling."

The letter pointed out that while the European Union is sanctioning Russian aviation over the Ukraine war, "the UN Secretariat continues to process new awards to Russian contractors."

Ambassador Kyslytsya has confirmed to Ukrinform that he had sent such letter to the UN leadership.

As reported earlier, on February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Russian forces have been shelling and bombarding civilian infrastructure and households, using artillery, rockets, ballistic missiles, and bombs.

Martial law was imposed and general mobilization was declared in Ukraine. The nation has been fighting off the invaders.