Roger Waters addressed the United Nations Security Council today, appearing at the invitation of Russian diplomats amid the country’s ongoing martial campaign in Ukraine. Waters appeared by video conference at the U.N.’s New York headquarters. Introduced by security council president Vanessa Frazier as a “civil peace activist,” the musician called for an “immediate ceasefire,” claiming to speak for the “voiceless millions” while disavowing so-called Ukrainian “provocateurs.” Watch his remarks in full, beginning around -36:00, here. Pitchfork has contacted Waters’ representatives for further comment.
Though he condemned all violence “in the strongest possible terms,” Waters claimed that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022, was “not unprovoked,” a sentiment at odds with the general diplomatic consensus of Russian aggression. “If this is a toothless chamber,” he said, referring to the council, “I can open my big mouth on behalf of the voiceless, without fear of my head getting bitten off. How cool is that?” Nearing the end of his statement, Waters relayed advice he’d gotten from his mother: “Read, read, read. Find out everything you can about whatever it is.”
In response to Waters’ remarks, Japan’s Osuga Takeshi said that efforts to end the war should be “about recovering the dignity and people of individuals through stopping Russian aggression and achieving sustainable peace.” United States ambassador Richard Mills pointedly expressed his skepticism of Waters’ position. “While I certainly acknowledge his impressive qualifications as a recording artist, his qualifications to speak to us as an expert briefer on arms control or European security issues [are] less evident to me,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of the United Kingdom, Barbara Woodward criticized the meeting in broader terms, saying that Russia was attempting to “deflect responsibility for its war.” She pointed to the country’s increased armament as evidence that the country is not sincere in its efforts at diplomatic conflict resolution. “Russia is why there is no peace in Ukraine,” she said.
Ukrainian ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya rebutted Waters during the proceedings, noting Pink Floyd’s banishment from the Soviet Union in 1979 for their condemnation of its invasion of Afghanistan. “Mr. Waters knows so little, but he seems to know it so fluently,” Kyslytsya said. He continued, quoting Waters’ own songwriting, “How sad for his former fans to see him accepting the role of just another brick in the wall: the wall of Russian disinformation and propaganda.”
Waters has maintained a skeptical stance toward Russia’s imposition in Ukraine, earning rebukes from colleagues and fans. Prior to Waters’ UN appearance, Polly Samson, the wife of Waters’ former Pink Floyd band mate David Gilmour, called Rogers an anti-Semitic, misogynistic Putin apologist in a tweet, with Gilmour affirming her assessment in his own post. Last year, Waters told Rolling Stone that he believes he’s on a Ukrainian “kill list,” and that reports of Russian forces perpetrating human rights abuses are “lies, lies, lies, lies.”