Moscow has publicly told off Nairobi over Kenya’s claim that the Security Council had “unanimously” approved a new Haiti peace mission.
In a diplomatic tone yet masking sharp disapproval, Russia’s First Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Dmitry Polyanskiy denied Foreign Affairs PS Korir Sing’oei’s claim on X that the adoption of Resolution 2793 (2025) was unanimous.
“I have to respectfully correct our Kenyan brothers – the resolution wasn’t adopted unanimously, Russia, China and Pakistan abstained. We didn’t block this proposal with heavy hearts and only heeding to the pleas from Latin American and African countries. But we are afraid that the Council is being dragged into another adventure,” Polyanskiy said inn what appeared to be a diplomatic slapdown of Kenya’s celebratory statement.
PS Korir had in a statement said the “unanimous adoption” of Resolution 2793 (2025) by the UN Security Council was a welcome development in the pursuit of a more peaceful and secure Haiti.
The Resolution transitions the Multinational Security Mission authorized in resolution 2699 (2023) (as renewed in resolution 2751 (2024)) to the Gang Suppression Force for an initial period of 12 months.
The GSF shall comprise a contingent of 5500 police and military officers bolstered by a UN Technical Office which will assume full responsibility for among others, the provision of logistical support for the GSF and resource mobilization.
“Having led the MSS and cognizant of the challenges the Mission faced as recently articulated by President William Ruto at the 80th UNGA, and having co-sponsored Resolution 2798 in her capacity as a member of the Standing Group of Partners, Kenya certainly welcomes the transition of the MSS to the GSF,” Korir said..
Russia, however, accused the Council of rushing into another poorly conceived venture. While noting that it had not blocked the resolution, Moscow said it abstained “heeding the pleas from Latin American and African countries,” but maintained that the Council was being dragged “into another adventure.”
In a detailed statement, Russia’s UN delegation said the new mission was “a highly dangerous and poorly thought-out undertaking,” arguing that previous international efforts in Haiti had produced “hardly any durable results.” It cited unfulfilled donor pledges and chronic underfunding of the outgoing MSS, warning that the GSF could face similar pitfalls.
“Kenya and several regional countries demonstrated courage and political will by dispatching their contingents to Haiti, yet the MSS failed to achieve even half of its projected capacity due to unfulfilled donor pledges,” the Russian statement read. “We have every reason to believe that this new mission, under yet another resonant name, will prove to be no different.”
Kenya, which has led the MSS since its launch last year, has defended the transition as a pragmatic step to strengthen coordination and logistical support under a UN framework. The country’s ambassador said the shift would help “neutralize, isolate, and deter gangs” that have paralyzed life in Port-au-Prince and beyond.
The diplomatic exchange highlights the contrasting global attitudes toward international engagement in Haiti — with Kenya portraying itself as a committed partner in restoring order, while Russia, backed by China and Pakistan’s abstentions, remains skeptical of what it calls “open-ended experiments” in crisis management.
