court. if confirmed judge jackson will become the first african-american woman to serve on the nation's highest court, follow this historic process, watch our live uninterrupted coverage of the confirmation hearings starting monday at 11:00 a.m. eastern on c-span. c-span.org or by downloading these eastbound now video app -- c-span now video app. >> the un security council meant to address russia's claim, the u.s. is funding chemical and biological weapons labs in ukraine. the u.s. ambassador to the u.n. called the accusations this information, this is just over one hour and 10 minutes.

>> 19 meeting security council is called to order. >> the position for this is to international peace and security. the agenda is adopted. in accordance with rule 39 of the council's provisional move procedure i invite the high representative for the affairs to participate in this meeting. it is so decided. the security council will now begin its consideration of item

two of the agenda. i now give the floor. >> thank you mr. president distinguish members of the secured counsel, i am aware that the russian federation has submitted documents regarding allegations of biological weapons programs in ukraine. as i informed the security council last friday, the united nations is not aware of any such biological weapons program. i would also like to note that the united nations currently has neither the mandate or technological capacity to investigate this information. as i previously informed the council, the relevant instrument of international law is the 1972

biological weapons convention. which is actively prohibiting the development, production, acquisition, transfer, and use of biological and toxin weapons. the russian federation and ukraine are both state parties to the biological weapons convention. mr. president, the biological weapons convention contained several messages which concern state parties could have recourse in order to address these situations in which they have concerns or suspicions of the activities of their peers. article five of the convention so state parties undertake to consult one another and cooperate in solving any problems. such consultation in corporation

can take place on the basis between the concerned state parties or a can be undertaken through appropriate international procedures. one such international procedure that has been elaborated was using the framework of the biological convention, would be consulted in this meeting. other possibilities for addressing concerns between state parties also exist under article five of the convention as well as under article six. as i mentioned last week, the bwc needs to be operationalized and institutionalized to ensure it is properly equipped and resourced to face future challenges. the conventions of ninth review conference presents the idea of opportunity for it's a state parties to comprehensively strengthen the convention. the united nations of government

affairs stands ready to support any procedures under the weapons convention that state parties made -- may decide to use. mr. president, turning to the issue of the safety and security of ukraine's nuclear power facilities, the director general of the international atomic energy agency has reported that according to the ukrainian authorities, all safety systems at the nuclear power plant remain fully functional as of yesterday, following the sites loss of connection to a third external power line, linking to the national electricity grid. although officials from russia state nuclear power companies were not present, at the meeting with ukraine, ukraine it continues to operate the plan. the general power plant connected to the national electricity grid, following reconnection on the fourth of

march. the ukrainian operators have not been able to rotate for three weeks. they have reported that according to the ukrainian authorities, eight of the country's 15 reactors remain operating. i understand that regarding nuclear safeguards, they are not receiving remote data transmission from its monitoring systems installed at chernobyl. such dado -- data was being trance of -- transported to other nuclear power plants in ukraine. i take this opportunity to free-trade the second general support to establish a framework on the safety and security of ukraine's nuclear facilities and urge all parties to work towards this end. mr. president, i wish to also highlight the terrible because

this conflict is having on citizens. as of 16 month -- the 16th of march, never courted 2032 civilian casualties, including 780 killed, some were children. at the actual number is believed to be much higher. most of these casualties are caused by the use of explosive weapons, with a wide area impact. these include attacks using multiple launch rocket systems, ballistic and cruise missiles and airstrikes. i also want to reiterate that attacks directed at civilians prohibited by international humanitarian law. we must find a diplomatic solution to this war, to put an

end to violence. the secretary-general says, we need an immediate position. and we need serious negotiations based on the principles of the u.n. charter and international law. we need peace, peace for the people of ukraine, peace for the world, we need peace now. i think you very much for your attention. -- i thank you very much for your attention. >> i think her for her presentation i will give the floor to members of the council who wish to speak. i give the floor to the represented of the -- representative of the russian federation. >> president, allow me to express condolences to the

representative following the loss to the irish mission and for all of us. please accept our condolences. president, colleagues, we have said that during russia's special military operation in ukraine, information was discovered regarding documentation of ukraine and authorities with the support and direct supervision of the u.s. a ministry of defense of dangers project is part of their military and biological programs. this activity was carried out in ukraine must enter based in europe and on the restaurant borders of europe which created a threat for the security of our country and for the whole region. a week ago, on the request of the russian federation there was a first account of a meeting held on this topic. here we asked western colleagues a series of questions but they have yet to respond, the u.s.,

or explain how the statements of the american officials about how there is allegedly no u.s. controlled by laboratories on ukraine, how that tallies with the active present documentary proof of this cooperation between kyiv and washington. we were talking about an agreement signed in 2005 between the u.s. ministry of defense and the minister of health in ukraine, which supports the pentagon at join biological research, related to dangerous pathogens in futility on ukrainian territory. although the american delegation does not want to respond to our questions, they are -- they are facing what materials we received from ukraine by laboratories about the implementation of military biological programs in the u.s. and its nato allies on ukrainian territory. as of last week, new details have come to light which allow

-- which state that the components for biological weapons were being created on the territory of ukraine. the implementation of the effort mentioned american-ukrainian agreement in 2005, comments on which we are still waiting for, has been going full steam ahead all of these years. the documentary -- documentation we see, the mac and colleagues were not helping as they claimed -- the americans and colleagues were not helping. the security council documented we distributed this morning, you see in that material you can see the technical assistance plan for certain recipients of the ukrainian ministry of defense. i recommend you look at this document very carefully. it confirms direct funding and supervision of the pentagon. it's defense threat reduction

agency of military and biological projects in ukraine. the overall quantity of the funding was the $2 million in the money went to the following the board tories -- laboratories. the regional health epidemiology goat report and -- department of the ukrainian military defense, in odessa, the health department of the central of the ukrainian military defense, the 28 regional health epidemiology goal department of the ukrainian ministry of defense, 108th regional of the ukrainian military of defense. i want to draw your attention to another vitally important point. the president of the u.s. state department continue to muddle

the information and ascertain the u.s. does not operate in any biological laboratories in any territory of the ukraine but the facts are otherwise. the donor is the u.s. military defense. based on the tax and workload of the projects on the ukrainian territory, there is a list of necessary equipment and delegated sickness, to an affiliated contract company with cooperation with ukrainian authorities. the recipient of american assistant with ukrainian defense ministry and they allowed timely accessed for the pentagon and contractor staff on -- to carry out work as part of these projects. also to provide access to these facilities, along pentagon

staff, include implementing -- was implemented not by the ukrainian scientist but with their participation. ukraine authorities gave the pentagon large parts of the ukraine territory to carry out dangerous biological experiments by the american contractors. what do the ukrainians receive in return? free travel to international conferences, based on expenses for food and accommodation as established by for u.s. civil servants. this compensation is carried out -- is provided for working next to dangerous biological science. this is cynical use of its territory and population for dangerous research which washington does not carry out in

its own territory so it does not run a risk of hurting its own people. we will not be surprised if similar facts about activity, supervised by the u.s., appear in laboratories and other regions of the world too. countries who provide their territories who -- to carry out these kinds of work. in the biological domain. the question from china to the u.s., to share the date of the activity of its 300 and 60 laboratories controlled by america around the world. the labs in kyiv were selected by the u.s. risk production agency not by chance. those who implemented the upa project focused on studying pathogens of congo.

we believe the interest of the military biologics is specifically in those pathogens is linked to the fact that they are naturally present in ukraine and russia. though there you -- and their use can be dressed up as a natural outbreak of these diseases. in the labs, there is the project that studies transmission to humans of diseases through bats. the work on this was done alongside the infamous -- in this context, separate attention should be paid to the pentagon's choice of pairing up work -- to carry out work in ukraine. the -- it is not just any old company. it has been working for the american army. to develop nuclear weapons.

research into human transmission of diseases through bats in the ukraine by laboratories was systemic. it has been happening since 2009, the direct oversight to the usa. during the problem -- project, six families of viruses were identified including coronaviruses and three types of pathogenic bacteria. the pathogens from the plague. in leptospirosis. these are the most attractive option to use for infection because they are resistant to medicine and they spread very quickly from animals to people. as part of the flu flyway project, the institute of veterinary medicine studied wild birds as vector to transmit avian flu. at the same time, they assess the ways in which the transmission process could become uncontrollable, cause

economic damage and a to food security. documents show the involvement of the institute in the work to collect strains of avian flu viruses which have high epidemiological potential and could cross the species barrier. the russian ministry of defense also has more and more new documents about the transfer of samples of blood serum from ukraine citizens to third countries including to the uk, georgia and germany. the analysis of information gives as grants to say ukraine specialists were not informed about the potential risks of transfer of biological materials and are used and are kept in the dark and did not real idea about the real objectives of this research being carried out. it is not surprising if the contract documentation i've mentioned earlier, they are

simply playing a secondary role. we have new data about attempt s to destroy biological materials and documentation in ukraine laboratories in order to quickly wiped the traces of the program. we know that during the activity to destroy this, the veterinary medicine laboratory, citizens of ukraine stopped working there were not allowed into the building. this laboratory cooperates with the scientific research institute in odessa, where research is carried out to pathogens of the plague, anthrax, cholera. in their attempts to wipe the traces of biological waste, the waste was taken 120 kilometers towards the western border . the russian ministry of defense has recorded all of these information to carry out the

legal assessment further down the line. the emergency urgent description documents and biological laboratory, we believe the reason for this rush was wish to hide from russian specialist s information about an outbreak. in 2019 as a disease which is spread by mosquitoes. the cases of infection of this disease were identified in which is not usual for the february, lifecycle of these insects. even bear in mind the incubation period for the disease. at the same time we are aware in representative of the pentagon april 2019 a visited the local health institutions where they learned of the results of the epidemiological research and they were able to copy the medical documentation. the western media is spreading

-- expressing doubts with regard to reliability of the information the russian ministry of defense has published. what we found had real signature of officials from the u.s. particularly, many of them are signed by the head of ukrainian office of the threat reduction agency. this is a pentagon staff member and well-known in nonproliferation circles. before ukraine she supervised , the destruction of chemical weapons in libya. we were interested in verifying the documents we provided and i propose you ask her directly, is that really her signature? i would like to underscore once again, we are talking not simply about the u.s. and ukraine's violation of the biological weapons convention, we are talking about more more proof that the center of eastern europe until the very last minute there was a dangerous military biological activity being carried out.

the consequences of which at any time could spread beyond the country and into the region. casualties including amongst the population of european countries in this case is hard to imagine. coronavirus is currently being compared to this. -- could be nothing compared to this. the world is concerned by the threat that it existed for example, in 2018, living in luhansk and donetsk there was a sharp spike in cases of tuberculosis caused by new multi-resistant string. -- drug resistant strain. during this outbreak recorded in the region more than 70 cases of infection were recorded, which quickly became lethal. this doesn't look like coincidence. in conclusion, i would like to comment on the state about by -- statement made by the representative of the u.n. secretary. the secretariat does not have information about biological programs on the territory of ukraine.

in line with the state parties, they provide you and information about the biological activities carried out we are talking a that confidence building measures which are published in order to monitor and limitation -- implementation of the convention. since 2006, which is when this project started, including the projects u.p. four, upa, and p781, the u.s. and ukraine have deliberately keeping quiet about this despite the clear military and biological purposes of this big -- this is why it russia for many years has been calling for strengthening of the regime and adopt a legally binding protocol to the convention which would allow us to create an effective mechanism of verification and include in reporting from state parties information on military biological activities carried out abroad. for 20 years, the u.s. has been blocking this kind of information. indeed one other question, which the representatives of the us

have time and time again been not providing us with. all of the facts i listed today on the 11th of march are only the tip of the iceberg. our ministry of defense is receiving more and more material. we'll continue to keep the international community informed about the unlawful activity carried out by the pentagon on ukrainian territory. thank you for your attention. >> [speaking in native tongue] translator: i think you, representative of russia come for his statement and look forward to questions. >> thank you, mr. president. let me express our shock on the sudden passing with a colleague of ours, ambassador and the seasoned diplomat. we convey to our irish colleagues our most heartfelt consequences on this terrible loss -- condolences on this terrible loss. mr. president, we thank you for providing us the same

information last friday on this matter. we heard nothing you from the u.n. department -- nothing new from the u.n. department in disarmament affairs of the united nations because there is nothing new. we take issues of weapons of mass distractions very, very seriously. but still managed to be an issue. mr. president we heard last , friday and it was repeated here, the united nations is not aware of any alleged program in ukraine consistent with the international treaty negotiations including chemical or biological weapons. so what are we doing this morning? what are we talking about here? for nonexistent chemical weapons program and ukraine? for nonexistent laboratories and by nonexistent programs? russian claims and listen to the statement remain unverified, unsubstantiated, and collaborated -- on cool -- not

independently verified. in a word, not credible. it is hard not to thank them and believe that today's meeting comes as a last-minute replacement out of a drawer, is therefore a loss of time and abuse of the council. we are afraid to find ourselves in a worst-case scenario an attempt by russia to try to shift attention from its crimes and the invasion by sowing fear with the dreadful prospects of chemical warfare or worst, given russia's track record of accusing others that have been perpetrating even an attempted assassination and poisoning of its own citizens. russia intends to use disinformation tactics for -- as a pretext for further escalation and possible use of chemical or biological weapons in ukraine. we have seen more than once that the more the invasion stalls, the deadlier the missile attacks

on -- and bombardment become. this is the real issue and a serious one. let's remind ourselves, colleagues, that russia has been saying one thing and doing another. that they are bright -- blatantly breaking international law and whenever they speak about ukraine, they are just distorting reality. claims need to be properly and fully investigated, and we know how this is and can be done. russia should first agree to an immediate cease-fire in the territory if you could. -- throughout the territory of ukraine. it should withdraw all authorities within a a radius of 40 kilometers of suspected locations, ask u.n. security forces secure 40 kilometers of radius to allow diagnostic to -- diagnostic research teams to conduct proper investigations. instead, we have the impression that russia speaks itself. dear colleagues, with the sole exception of russia everyone , around this table, everyone without exception, as well as 140 members of the unga have

been clear on the absolute necessity to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of ukraine to stop the war, to protect civilians and to deal with issues and concerns not by bombarding indiscriminately, not by killing innocent people, not by destroying a country, not by wrecking economic havoc of entire world but through negotiations and through diplomatic channels and mechanisms. this is what needs to be done. this is what russia should be doing, not abusing that counsel with pop up subjects a convened -- of convenience trying to create the illusion of truth out of repeated lies. translator: slender, something will always stick. >> the world looks to the security council and for good reason, or hope and solutions as a body responsible for peace and security. it should not be abused for propaganda.

>> i think the representative of albania for statement into the -- and yield the floor to the representative of the usa. >> thank you, mr. president. and thank you, high representative nakamitsu for joining us today to repeat what you gave us, exactly what you gave us last week. and last week we heard from the russian representative a tirade of bizarre conspiracy theories. this week, we are hearing a whole lot more where that came from. things that sound like they were forwarded to him on the chain e-mail from some dark corner of the internet. president biden has a word for this kind of talk, malarkey. as i said one week ago, ukraine does not have a biological weapon program. there are no ukrainian biological weapons laboratories,

not near russia's border, not anywhere. there are only public health facilities proudly, and i say proudly, supported and recognized by the u.s. government. the world health organization, and other governments and international institutions. in fact, it is russia that has long maintained a biological weapons program in violation of , international law. it is russia that has a well-documented history of using chemical weapons. it is russia who is the aggressor here. it was russian operatives who poisoned alexei navalny and sergei skripal with nerve agent. it is russia that continues to support the assad regime in

syria and shield it from accountability when the u.n. and the opcw have confirmed that assad has recently used chemical weapons over the past several years. let's not forget why we are really here today. we are here because russia knew its cynical ploy to pass a resolution had failed. this meeting is the result of their isolation on this council and on the world stage. we are not buying what they are selling. literally or figuratively. and i will reiterate the united states is deep and serious concern that russia is calling for this meeting is a potential false flag effort in action. russia has repeatedly, repeatedly accused other countries of the very violations it plans to perpetrate.

we continue to believe it is possible that russia may be planning to use chemical or biological agents against the ukrainian people. we aren't going to dignify russia's disinformation or conspiracy theories, but we will continue to sound the alarms and tell the world where we think rush is heading. -- where we think russia is heading. and we will remind the world that russia has repeatedly, repeatedly lied to this council over recent weeks. despite all the evidence we could see with our own eyes, it told us that it was not going to invade ukraine. that it was engaged in wargames. that it was interested in diplomacy. i ask the russian pr, where are the 100,000 troops who were

sitting on the russian side of the border now? sadly, i think many of them have given their lives in this senseless, unconscionable war against the ukrainian people. russia lied to its own people as well. shutting down media to try and hide the truth. and i will not repeat the slurs and false accusations that russia has hurled against the ukrainian people and the united states repeatedly at this table. but we know that russia's disinformation is a sign of its desperation. that's the truth, and will continue to ensure the world sees it and hears it. thank you, mr. president. >> [speaking in native tongue] translator: i thank you representative of the united , states for her statement and give the floor to the representative of ireland.

>> thank you, mr. president. i wanted to say at the beginning, mr. president, how much the irish delegation appreciates the condolences we received on the sudden loss of an outstanding irish diplomat, colleague and friend. may he rest in peace. mr. president i would like to , thank high representative nakamitsu for her briefing. ireland deeply regrets the decision of the russian federation to call for today's meeting. it has done so yet again for no other reason than to promote its spurious claims against ukraine and others. it is deeply troubling to hear the russian federation spreading unsubstantiated, unfounded allegations. the only so-called proof

provided is to point to a transparent projects necessary for biosecurity for human or animal health. research of the kind carried out by many countries to advance global health benefiting mankind. president, i urge the russian federation to cease its campaigns of disinformation and attempts to distract from what is really happening because of a -- it's war in ukraine. this behavior is disturbingly consistent with the russian federation's own track record of using disinformation in both multinational forums to defend and deny its activities. russian military forces in ukraine have already demonstrated reckless disregard for nuclear safety and security since the start of their invasion. this recklessness raises real fears of a significant radiological, chemical, or

biological accident. it is unacceptable to make unfounded accusations against ukraine, a state party in good standing to the treaty on the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons, chemical weapons convention, and the biological weapons convention. president, the use of chemical or biological weapons in ukraine would affect untold additional suffering on the ukrainian people who have already suffered so much from the actions of the russian federation. use of these heinous weapons is immoral and illegal in any circumstance. there will be no impunity for those who use them. we urge the russian federation not to violate or undermine essential multilateral disarmament and nonproliferation

instruments upon which our collective security depends. thank you, mr. president. >> [speaking in native tongue] translator: i thank you. representative of ireland for her statement and give the floor to the representative of france. >> [speaking french] translator: mr. president, i in turn would like to express my condolences to the irish mission and to the family of jim kelly , who was an exceptional colleague for the french mission, alongside you and we express to you are full -- our full friendship. mr. president, i would like to thank ms. nakamitsu for her briefing. i'll be very brief because everything was already said last week. moreover, i haven't heard any new information this morning in any case, no new credible information. russia is indeed mounting a disinformation campaign.

this meeting is based on no established facts. ukraine has no biological weapons program. it respects its obligations under the biological weapons convention. the united nations clearly indicated last week and again this morning that it has no knowledge of the existence of such programs. on the contrary, russia has repeatedly resorted to chemical weapons over the last few years. it has supported the syrian regime. itself has used these weapons in the united kingdom and its own territory in targeted assassination attempts, by inventing an alternative reality it is seeking to obscure its responsibility and conceal its own crime. france is extremely concerned by the possibility that this disinformation campaign might be the prelude to the use of a chemical or biological weapon in ukraine.

if such attacks were to occur, they would only be one perpetrator, that would be russia. the use of these weapons banned under international law would constitute an intolerable escalation of this conflict. the minister of europe and foreign fair affairs has unambiguously stated such attacks would lead desha fine -- lead to more massive sanctions. we resent the fact that the security council is being used by one of its permanent members of a propaganda platform. >> [speaking in native tongue] translator: i thank you for your statement and yield the floor to the representative of the uk. >> thank you, mr. president. and may i join others in expressing our deep condolences to the irish mission and to the family of jim kelly. he was an exceptional and very well loved colleague. we will miss him. i also thank ms. nakamitsu for her briefing today.

mr. president, only yesterday, this council discussed russia's invasion of ukraine. we heard from you and refers -- u.n. refers the devastating , impacts on ukraine, its people and its cities. on the region to which 3 million refugees have fled. and on the wider international community facing higher economic prices and the consequences for countries in need of this counsel's attention. today, however, we've had a rehash of amateurish disinformation which we discussed and debunked last friday. it was nonsense then, and it is nonsense now. as i said then laboratories in , ukraine carrying out research on public health hazards are not

a threat to public, to international peace and security. by contrast, president putin's illegal and inhumane invasion of ukraine is the most significant threat to international peace and security we face today. so today's charade is not worthy of a permanent member of the un security council. the only thing this council needs to hear from the russian federation, we didn't hear it yesterday, we haven't heard it today, the only thing this council needs to hear is that russia's troops are leaving ukraine. ukraine does not want war.

russians and ukrainians, soldiers, civilians, mothers, children are dying. russia is isolated diplomatically, isolated economically, and bogged down in ukraine. so we urge russia to stop this invasion now before any more damage is done in ukraine, and also to russia. i thank you, mr. president. >> [speaking in native tongue] translator: i thank you, representative of the u.k. for her statement and give the floor to the representative of ghana. >> thank you, mr. president. my delegation would also like to convey our sincere condolences to the family and the irish mission on the sad passing away of ambassador jim kelly. mr. president my delegation is , grateful to the high representative for disarmament, ms. nakamitsu for her briefing to the council. we are taking to the council. once again we reaffirm our

belief that the conclusion -- conclusive determination of ukraine's biological program can only be made after assessment by the relevant internationally accredited body. as we previously stated, the weaponization of chemicals or biological agent in the were in -- war in ukraine or anywhere else would be unconscionable and should not be contemplated by any party. the international community must forge consensus towards establishing of verification regime for the biological weapons convention in view of the recent global development, including the covid-19 pandemic. we maintain that the possession or proliferation of weapons of mass destruction including , chemical and biological weapon s neither assures international peace nor national security. we must work collectively to ensure the elimination of both -- all such weapons.

what is pressing, mr. president, is a need for the cessation of hostilities and the unconditional and immediate withdrawal of the russian federation of all its invading , troops from the , internationally recognized borders of ukraine. increasingly, this conflict is having ramifications beyond the borders of ukraine. the consequent price hikes in food and gas are impacting in a negative way the already fragile global economy which is yet to , recover from the effects of the covid-19 pandemic. by this unjustified war the life of many across the world have been put in peril. we therefore welcome the secretary general's intention to mobilize global action to mitigate the impact of the war and support all efforts to enhance international solidarity. we bemoan the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation and call on the warring parties to respect and comply with their commitments and obligations under

international law, international humanitarian law, and human rights laws. civilians must be protected from harm. civilian infrastructure must not be the target of military bombardment. safe passage must be provided for the people who are fleeing to safety. we call for an immediate end to the attack on medical and other critical facilities and also call for the protection of humanitarian and medical personnel. mr. president, we encourage the ongoing talks of the two site -- two sides and hope that they would use an early breakthrough for the peaceful settlement of this conflict. i thank you for your kind attention. >> [speaking in native tongue] translator: i thank you, representative of ghana for her statement and give the floor to the representative of brazil. >> thank you very much, mr. president. let me begin as others in conveying to our friends at the

mission of ireland our very deep condolences for the premature loss of ambassador jim kelly. i would kindly ask the delegation to convey to ambassador geraldine, to all the mission and to the family of jim , kelly our deep, deep condolences. let me also take this opportunity to thank high representative nakamitsu for her briefing. before beginning, mr. president, let me kindly address other members of the council to kindly refrain from attempting to interpret brazil's position on any issue. brazil is perfectly capable of presenting its own views in this and in other bodies of the united nations. mr. president, 50 years ago, we adopted the biological weapons convention determined for the , sake of humanity to exclude completely the possibility of

biological agents and toxins be used as weapons. we took that important step, and i quote the convention, " convinced that such use would be repugnant to the conscience of humankind and that no effort should be spared to minimize this risk." today, for the second time in a week, we gather here to once again discuss extremely serious allegations regarding the development, production, and stockpiling of such abhorrent weapons. as we stated last friday, brazil believes accusations of such gravity must be thoroughly substantiated by solid evidence, which must be presented to and confirmed by and independent and impartial authority. as foreseen in article six of the biological weapons convention.

brazil has long failed for negotiation of a multilateral verification protocol as a complement to the convention. with additional measures to guarantee protection and security against emerging biological threats. the situation before the council to date, only reinforces the urgency and the necessity to establish such a mechanism. mr. president, brazil looks forward to the convening of the biological weapon conventions ninth review conference. we need to restart negotiations on strengthening the regime, including by establishing a verification protocol. this will also be an opportunity for deeper discussions on biosafety and bio security. brazil is of the view that legitimate scientific and technological research should be kept distinct and separate from possible violations of the prohibition against the

development and protection of biological weapons, if we wish to preserve the biological weapons convention regime. research into new and dangerous pathogens should be subject to strict transparency mechanisms. finally, i would like to reiterate what we said last week. brazil condemns in the strongest possible terms, the use or threat of use of all weapons of mass destruction, including biological or chemical weapons anywhere by anyone under any circumstances. i thank you, mr. president. >> translator: i thank you, representative of brazil for his statement and gave the floor to the representative of kenya. >> thank you mr. president. we join others in expressing our deepest condolences to the mission of ireland and the family of ambassador jim kelly.

i thank ms. nakamitsu, undersecretary and high representative for a disarmament affairs for her briefing. mr. president it is a , regrettable that the armed conflict in ukraine rages on at -- at an intolerable cost to the people of ukraine and increasingly to the entire world especially the global south as prices of essential commodities rise sharply because of shortages and the impacts of sanctions. we are gravely concerned by this sustained targeting of civilians and objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population, including residential homes, hospitals , shelters, as well as power and water infrastructure, in violation of international law and international humanitarian law. at this point, mr. president, this council should be focused on getting the cessation of military campaign in ukraine. we appeal to the concern to do so immediately to allow humanitarian action and facilitate a much-needed dialogue towards sustainable political solution.

any allegation of the development of biological weapons in contravention of the convention on the development, production and stockpiling of biological weapons must not be taken lightly. we call on all parties to the convention to make use of the established mechanisms so that any concern or suspicion of the presence of these extremely dangerous weapons can be verified. in situations of armed conflict we must point out that such verifications demand the cessation of the conflict were it to be carried out. we urge a state party to the convention on the prohibition of the development, production and stockpiling of biological weapons to seize the opportunity of the ninth review conference later this year to strengthen the biological weapons regime. in closing, mr. president, in -- kenya reaffirms its recognition of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of ukraine. i think you. >> [speaking in native tongue] translator: i thank you,

representative of kenya for her statement and give the floor to the representative of norway. >> thank you, president. let me also express our deepest condolences to the irish mission for the very sad passing of our dear colleagues, jim kelly. at the outset, thanks to the high representative nakamitsu for your briefing. we are called here today at the request of the russian delegation to again discuss claims of biological weapons program in ukraine. yet, we heard from the high representative last week and it was repeated today, "the united nations is not aware of any biological weapons programs in ukraine." russia has failed to offer any credible evidence for its claims, providing us instead with unsubstantiated information, allegation and interpretations.

we have trouble understanding the russian now behind the last minute call to further discussions today. we find it unacceptable that russia continues to repeat its unsupported claims that ukraine is preparing to use biological weapons. it is becoming quite clear that this is just another smokescreen tactic to draw attention away from russia's role as aggressor in this illegal invasion of ukraine. president, norway remains a firm supporter of the biological weapons convention, and we are determined together with the international community to oppose total ban against biological weapons. norway condemns any use of such weapons. they cannot and must not be used under any circumstance.

this would constitute a clear violation of international law. we deeply regret that russia, by calling this meeting, seeks to undermine this counsel and its vital role to peace diplomacy. exactly eight years ago, we were shocked by the russian illegal annexation of crimea. and now russia is waging an unlawful war against another u.n. member states with , devastating humanitarian consequences. the sole responsibility for the war falls on russia. russia must end it now. thank you. >> trades slater, i think the representative of norway for her statement and give the floor to the representative of the bone. >> -- of gabon.

>> translator we would like to : begin by expressing irish mission. i'd like to thank you. in the absence of new facts of the last meeting, last friday on the same matter, allow me to recall the statement of my country in light of the grade situation on the risk of incursion of chemical weapons in the crisis in ukraine. my country calls for parties to abide by the provisions of the biological weapons convention which formally prohibits the use of broad spectrum, as well as their development, production and stockpiling. my country as an member state to the united nations convention on the prohibition of biological weapons, we have found commitment to eradicating the use of biological weapons and

call on the belligerence to respect international law in this regard. we reiterate our commitment to the peaceful settlement between the united nations and states and we continue to call on parties for de-escalation and to invest in on going negotiations in good faith in order to bring an end this war, of which the consequences are already visible beyond ukrainian territory. thank you. >> translator: i think the representative of the bone -- of gabon and give the floor to the representative of india. >> thank you, mr. president. we give our deepest condolences to the family and the members the irish mission. thank you for everything, we've noted the points made by

ukraine, the importance to the biological and toxin weapons convention is a key global convention, prohibiting activity of the participants. it's important to ensure full implementation. we also believe that any matter relating to obligations in the convention should be done through the provenance of the convention and cooperation between parties. we welcome the letters -- the hostilities will soon be part of dialogue. it's important to undertake this engagement, keeping in mind the need to respect the principles of the u.n. charter of

international law, sovereignty and territory of the states. i thank you. >> translator: i think the representative of a for his statement. i give the floor to the representative of china. >> thank you, mr. president. mr. president, on behalf of all the colleagues of the chinese mission, i wish to express our deep sadness at the passing of dpr ambassador jim kelly and extend our sincere condolences to his family in the colleagues of the irish mission. china has stated its position on the ukraine issue many times . under the current situation, it's their shared desire of the

international community to achieve a cease fire as soon as possible to avoid more civilian casualties and prevent a massive humanitarian crisis, which is also what china is hoping for. it's the fundamental ways to solve the problem from russia and ukraine. they held four rounds of negotiations, there staying in touch with each other, negotiations continuing, hopefully a cease fire and a peaceful future. china will continue to facilitate dialogue among we -- for peace, the united nations and all parties and hope that all parties can do more things that are conducive to promoting peace, rather than adding fuel to the fire. we find ukraine crisis is an issue of u.n. security. it's our hope united states and european union and nato can sit down with russia for an in-depth

comprehensive dialogue. and explore ways to put in place a balance, effective and sustainable european security architecture based on the principle of indivisible security. to achieve lasting peace and stability in europe. china's position on weapons of mass destruction and biological security is consistent and clear. china stands for the complete probation and destruction of all weapons of mass destruction including biological and , chemical weapons. china opposes the development, possession or use of biological and chemical weapons in the dust by any country except under any circumstances. and urges countries that haven't done so to destroy their chemical weapons stockpiles as soon as possible.

complying with the biological weapons convention, is the obligation of all state parties, with the establishment of a verification regime which we will help improve biological security. china was once a victim of chemical and biological weapons, china believes any information and lead on biological activities trigger, heightened concern and attention of the international community to avoid irreparable harm. in this regard, relevant parties should take a responsible approach. russia has further reviewed the newly discovered documents, the party concern should respond to questions and offer timely and comprehensive clarifications to remove the international

-- the doubts of the international community. we do not consider it too much to ask and on this issue, no double standards should be applied. thank you, mr. president. >> translator: i think representative of china for his statement and give the floor to the representative of mexico. >> thank you, mr. president. translator i'm ready to begin by : joining those colleagues of ours in expressing our most sincere condolences to the irish delegation for such an irreparable loss. we are grateful for the briefing by high representative and we take note of the information she has shared with us, particularly her reconfirmation that the u.n.

has no knowledge of biological weapons program in ukraine. as we mentioned at a previous meeting, mexico believes the convention on the prohibition of the development, production and stockpiling of bacteriological and toxic weapons is the fundamental instrument of the multinational disarmament regime to address these matters. the convention contains mechanisms for the resolution of disputes through consultation and cooperation. these should be used for any state party deems it necessary. if there are so many doubts or new information, as has been suggested, why don't you proceed on the terms of the convention? the council cannot be held

hostage to contradictory signs. one date, what matter is raised, the next date, something is postponed, the next day, and substituted for something else. mexico will continue to be open to dialogue and negotiation. however, to move forward on this -- there should be reciprocity on this affective commitment to dialogue. less then 24 hours have passed since the last council meeting on ukraine and the humanitarian need continues to grow. what is urgent is cessation of hostilities to ensure unhindered supply of humanitarian aid to whomever might need it without restriction or exclusion. thank you very much, president.

>> translator: i think the representative of mexico for his statement. i shall now make a statement in my capacity as a representative. at the outset, we express our deepest condolences to the mission of ireland. over the passing of dpr mr. jim kelly. we express condolences to his family. i think her for her briefing. the use of biological weapons or any type of weapons of mass destruction by any party under any circumstances is unjustified, cannot be justified . it is an attack on humanity as a whole. the use of these prohibited

weapons requires international response. those responsible for the use of the weapons must be held accountable as they constitute a violation of international law, the prohibition of these weapons including through the convention of the prohibition of biological weapons is one of the most important achievements of international community. thus, maintaining the consent based upon which this prohibition was established, it is part of our responsibility to maintain international security. in conclusion, we renewed -- renew our call to use all to alleviate the suffering of civilians and stop.

this would allow for reaching a peaceful settlement of this conflict according to international law and humanitarian law. i reviewed -- i resume my function as president of the council. the representative of the russian federation to the floor to make an additional statement. i give him the floor. >> thank you, mr. president. propaganda, disinformation, amateurism is unfazed -- on based imagination. false flag operations that's , what we have heard today. some statements have literally repeated their statements on the 11th of march.

if you haven't heard anything new in our statement today it's , because you weren't listening. we provided not fiction, not something found in the dark web, but we provided new material and documents which we disseminated. , these documents have signatures. these documents were prepared on the basis of observation between -- cooperation between ukraine and the u.s. in the biological field. if you can verify what we provide, i ask you -- i think

anyone who needs to ought to be able to find this. if you want to do so, then do, but don't make them -- unfounded accusations of russian propaganda but replied to the questions we ask. you are refusing to do so, simply because you have nothing to say, while you are trying to accuse us of intentions to deploy biological and chemical weapons against ukraine. this is real cynicism, is not it? we have already been warned about the fact we know, officially warned we do know and we do have information about ukrainian nationalists using chemical agents in some regions to carry out a provocation and then accuse russia of having done it. this is a false flag operation.

maybe you didn't listen to us properly, particularly the u.s. we didn't say as a representative of u.s. claimed that ukraine itself has a military biological program. this program we said based on the documents we have is something the u.s. itself has, not ukraine. ukraine, in this case, is being kept in the dark. we've already provided you with facts, talk to through the, about the spike in ukraine of dangerous lethal diseases which , there's no explanation for them with no usual facts. it could be linked to this kind of activity though. to date, again, we heard the

argument that the biggest argument to prove that in ukraine there were no biological activities this -- they said the u.n. can't know about this secret military biological program. they are not shared with you and or with anybody else. i said before we put this item on the agenda, new facts have appeared and we will keep the security council abreast of the community about these facts, which i am sure it will be revealed in the near future. thank you very much. >> i think the representative of the russian federation for his statement. there are no more names. the meeting is adjourned.

[captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] >> coming up tonight on c-span's the helsinki commission hears from former nato superior -- supreme allied commander on the russian invasion of ukraine. in house republican leader kevin mccarthy, on gas prices and the gop's upcoming retreat in florida. after that, senator bernie sanders shares thoughts on the u.s. response to russia's invasion of ukraine. >> c-span is your unfiltered view of government. we are funded by these television companies and more, including medco. ♪ >> midco supports c-span as a

public service, along with these other television providers, giving you a front row seat to democracy. >> next, the helsinki commission hears from former nato supreme commander general wesley clark on the russian invasion of ukraine. the helsinki commission includes nine senators, nine house members and one member each from the state commerce and defense departments. this runs just under an hour. >> we gather today in a time of great peril and sorrow. the armies of the russian federation have plunged into the depths of the democratic country of ukraine, raised destruction across that once flourishing land and print citizens. having assembled an enormous formation of nearly 200,000 troops in vast quantities of armor and heavy weaponry, few countries on earth could have been expected to withstand t