As you can see from the video below, Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly I. Churkin is none too pleased with his French counterparts. Here’s the backstory: The presidents of France and Russia negotiated a ceasefire agreement last week which is known as the the “six point plan.” The French prepared to circulate a draft resolution at the Security Council to formalize the plan, but scraped the idea amid concerns that Russia was not making good on promises to pull back its troops from Georgia.
Then on Tuesday, a draft written by France and backed by the United States and United Kingdom ratcheted up the pressure and called for “an immediate Russian withdrawal to pre-conflict lines, the return of Georgian forces to their bases and full compliance with an already agreed cease-fire.” According to Reuters, “Western diplomats said the French draft had been submitted to the council in full knowledge that Russia was likely to reject it. The aim was ‘to put the spotlight on the fact that the Russians have not withdrawn,’ one Western envoy said.”
Well, with the spotlight on him, Churkin lays into the French.