Lammy launches bizarre rant about slavery at UN meeting as he rages over ‘Putin’s imperialism’

Foreign Minister David Lammy today launched a remarkable tirade at the UN against Russia, citing slavery, “Putin’s imperialism” and his African descent.

In a speech to delegates at United Nations headquarters in New York City, Lammy addressed the Russian ambassador to the organization, Vasili Nebenzya, directly, calling imperialism to account.

Lammy said: “I say to the Russian representative, who I am speaking to on the phone right now, that I also stand here as a black man whose ancestors were taken from Africa in chains, at gunpoint, to be enslaved.”

The Foreign Secretary referred to how his ancestors “stood up and fought in a great rebellion of the enslaved” before taking a veiled dig at Britain’s colonial past.

The foreign minister referred to how his ancestors “rose up and fought in a great uprising of the enslaved people”

He continued: “Imperialism. I know it when I see it, and I will call it what it is.

“This week, as I sit here with other partners around the world talking about our common future and the future of the UN, Russia is trying to take us back to a world of the past.

“A world of imperialism. A world of redrawing borders by force. A world without the UN Charter. We cannot let this happen.”

Lammy reiterated Britain’s steadfast support for Ukraine. He personally urged Volodymyr Zelensky’s troops to be equipped with British-made Storm Shadow missiles, the foreign minister added to his anti-Russian remarks.

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Lammy reiterated Britain’s steadfast support for Ukraine at the UN

“Ukraine’s struggle is important to all of us,” he said, before continuing: “The UK will remain Ukraine’s most loyal supporter.”

Lammy’s speech was praised, but also raised eyebrows.

The foreign secretary later called Putin’s invasion of Ukraine the prime minister’s personal project to “expand his mafia state into a mafia empire”, earning praise from former Guardian Russia correspondent Luke Harding, who described his speech as “devastating”.

But the Russians present at the session were not so convinced.

Dmitry Polyanskiy, Russia’s first deputy permanent representative to the UN, said: “It was disgusting to hear David Lammy at the UN Security Council today.

Putin inspects weapon with Ramzan Kadyrov

The rows at the UN were preceded by a sobering warning from Vladimir Putin himself

REUTERS

Polyanskiy referred to a common Russian saying about the phrase “Slava Ukraini” and added: “Not only dubious lectures about how his ancestors defeated imperialism, but also slogans of Ukrainian nationalists and Nazi collaborators!”

But the UN bickering occurred before Vladimir Putin himself issued a sobering warning.

Opening a meeting of the Russian Security Council, the 71-year-old president warned that Russia could use nuclear weapons if it were attacked with conventional missiles. Moscow would consider any nuclear attack a joint attack.

“The conditions for Russia’s transition to the use of nuclear weapons are also clearly set,” Putin said, adding that Moscow would consider such a move if it detected the start of a large-scale launch of missiles, aircraft or drones.

Russia reserves the right to use nuclear weapons if it or its ally Belarus becomes the target of aggression, including with conventional weapons, Putin added.