During his inaugural address to the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer harshly criticized Russia for its actions in Ukraine, likening the treatment of Russian soldiers to being “thrown into a meat grinder.” He stated that around “600,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded” in the ongoing conflict and questioned how Russia could maintain its presence at the UN.
Starmer emphasized the importance of the UN Charter, which promotes human dignity, stating, “not treating your own citizens as bits of meat to fling into the grinder.” As he spoke, Russia’s deputy UN ambassador, Dmitry Polyanskiy, appeared visibly distressed, resting his head in his hands.
In addition to his remarks on Russia, Starmer called for an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon and Gaza, where Israel is intensifying its military actions against Iran-backed militant groups. He urged for a political resolution, saying, “Security will come through diplomacy, not escalation,” and called for the UN Council to demand a complete ceasefire in Gaza along with the release of all hostages.
Starmer’s speech comes amid scrutiny back home over a gift-taking scandal involving him and his deputy, alongside a recent slip-up during a party event where he mistakenly referred to “sausages” instead of “hostages” while discussing the situation in Gaza.
